Livelihood vulnerability to climatic stresses: A study of the northeastern floodplain communities of Bangladesh - Rahman, H.M. (2018)
Climatic stress vulnerability has cross-scaler influences on development interventions, particularly in developing countries. While most of climate adaptation plans and interventions are developed at national or international scales, relatively little attention has been paid to incorporate the contextual properties of climate vulnerability in adaptation-related decision making. Focusing on the wetland ecosystem dominated northeastern floodplain communities of Bangladesh, this exploratory research seeks to better understand how locally-specific socio-economic and biophysical properties serve to compound vulnerability to climatic stresses; how community members use their resources and assets in order to reduce their sensitivity to climatic stresses; and the extent to which government adaptation programmes reflect context-specific adaptation demands. Recognizing that Bangladesh is widely acknowledged to be one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, this dissertation begins with a systematic literature review of the state of knowledge related to climate change impacts in Bangladesh. Results indicate a shortage of context specific scientific studies and identify that northeastern floodplain region is the most understudied area in the country. Issues related to multidisciplinary research approaches and geographic connectedness of research efforts point to potential limitations in the evidence base used to support public policy initiatives on climate change adaptation. A participatory climate stress exposure assessment reveals that local biophysical changes and resource use behaviors significantly contribute to compounding the impacts of climatic stresses. However, these observations are generally poorly represented in local-level climate model-based stress assessments. Results reveal that community stress perceptions are largely determined by the temporal occurrence of a climatic event, with a climatic event considered a stress if it occurs in their production period and causes losses to their productivity. Stress perceptions are also influenced by household resource ownership, local innovation and technological uses. Using the sustainable rural livelihood approach, a mixed method study is then used to better understand the actions taken by households to reduce their livelihood sensitivity to climatic stresses. Households were found to organize, transform and combine their capital assets for generating different livelihood portfolios. Using diverse combinations of assets, two strategies were observed: 1) extending external networks in order to create non-natural resource dependent livelihood opportunities; and 2) extending uses of available natural resources. Both of these strategies required external supports from government programmes or market mechanisms. Finally, a climate change policy analysis of Bangladesh, supported with key informant interviews, is presented to assess how different government policy interventions have supported local adaptation initiatives. The results reveal that despite recent advancements in climate change related policy making and institutional changes for supporting local adaptation actions in Bangladesh, plans and policies often fail to respond to local demands. More specifically, the existing climate change adaptation planning and policy processes tend to lack wider public participation and have inadequate coordination with natural resource management policies. This dissertation considers the diverse socio-economic and social-ecological contexts of climate vulnerability in rural Bangladesh. The results offer important research and policy insights to developing more a systematic understanding of climate vulnerability, and how local knowledge might be better integrated into national and international policy processes.

Investigating the performance of earthen levee structures with induced internal deterioration - Saghaee, Gholamreza (McGill University (Canada), 2017)

Risk-based seismic safety assessment of concrete gravity dams with uncertainty quantification - Patra, Bikram Kesharee (Concordia University, 2024)
Dams are vital national assets that play a crucial role in water storage, hydroelectric power generation, and flood control. Globally, over 61,000 large dams have surpassed 50 years of service, and many show signs of deterioration. With over 300 dam failures recorded worldwide, the potential for catastrophic damage remains alarmingly high if these aging structures are not properly maintained and upgraded. Further, many of the existing dams were built upon outdated standards, and there is an increase in seismic hazards making it imperative to reevaluate their seismic performance to align with current safety standards. The need for improved dam safety measures is urgent, as dam owners, regulators, and policymakers grapple with the challenges of ensuring the structural integrity of aging dams in the face of growing risks. A key solution is shifting from traditional safety approaches to a modern, risk-based methodology, which addresses safety concerns more efficiently and economically. Various, global agencies have developed risk-based safety assessment guidelines; however, these often lack systematic implementation frameworks and sufficient reference studies, making them difficult for dam owners to adopt effectively. Furthermore, various uncertainties can impact the risk assessment and can complicate efforts to ensure dam safety. In this context, this research investigates uncertainties impacting seismic risk assessments for dams, including modeling choices, ground motion selection, aging, and material variability. Case studies of the Koyna Dam and Pine Flat Dam were used to evaluate these factors at each stage of performance evaluation: system response, fragility, and risk assessment. Key findings indicate that dam-foundation-reservoir (DFR) models incorporating acoustic elements exhibit less variability in system response, regardless of model complexity and solution procedure. Ground motion derived from the conditional mean spectrum (CMS) method yields better fragility estimates than the ASCE 7-16 standard, particularly for moderate to severe damage states. Additionally, aging and material variability significantly affect the dynamic characteristics of dams, with increased failure probabilities correlating with both age and return period. Based on these findings, the research proposes a comprehensive, systematic framework for risk-based seismic safety evaluation. This framework aligns with safety assessment objectives and ensures optimal use of computational resources.

L'opportunité de l'admission de la matière cellulaire et génétique humaine à la brevetabilité en droit français - Laulan, Julie (2024)
Les biotechnologies constituent aujourd'hui un secteur d'activités dynamique offrant de nouvelles perspectives d'innovations. Ces connaissances, permettant d'allier deux entités jusqu'ici traitées séparément, la technique et le vivant, sont en proie de révolutionner notre rapport au monde à de nombreux égards. La présente étude a plus spécifiquement vocation à se pencher sur les innovations biologiques produites à partir d'éléments extraits du corps humain, tels que les cellules souches et les gènes. La biologie cellulaire et le génie génétique se sont imposés comme des secteurs phares des biotechnologies en raison des progrès significatifs qu'ils pourraient permettre pour le traitement de certaines maladies génétiques rares. Toutefois, la protection juridique devant être octroyée à ce type de créations suscite un flot de réactions souvent très partagées au sein de l'opinion publique. Si le brevet est reconnu comme l'outil de propriété industrielle privilégié pour protéger efficacement les inventions, son application au domaine du vivant, et qui plus est au corps humain, demeure plus délicate et controversée. L'inadéquation des critères de brevetabilité aux inventions biotechnologiques fait aujourd'hui obstacle à la prise en considération de ces nouvelles formes de créations par la propriété intellectuelle. Ce projet de recherche s'inscrit dans une perspective globale et transversale, visant à comprendre en quoi le domaine brevetable est influencé par une série de considérations éthiques et par la superposition d'intérêts économiques et sociaux divergents. Il s'agit ainsi de tenter de clarifier les délimitations de l'objet brevetable et de réfléchir à l'opportunité de nouvelles admissions dans le champ de la brevetabilité tout en maintenant certains garde-fous essentiels à la protection des droits fondamentaux individuels. Dès lors, cette étude s'intéresse aux outils et stratégies disponibles afin de renforcer la coopération entre les acteurs impliqués dans ce débat et d'assurer un meilleur équilibre entre les différents intérêts en présence.

Design and Implementation of an IoT Platform for Flood Prediction - Mehta, Meet Divyesh (Concordia University, 2023)
Flooding, a major natural calamity, severely threatens communities and infrastructures in areas susceptible to floods. Consequently, implementing an Internet of Things (IoT)-based flood monitoring system becomes crucial. Existing flood monitoring systems lack a comprehensive and scalable IoT platform to collect real-time data from diverse sensors efficiently, visualize flood information, and provide accurate water level forecasts. This thesis proposes a complete system designed to address the challenges associated with efficient data collection and flood monitoring from diverse IoT sensors. Our proposition involves creating and deploying a centralized system known as HYDROSIGHT, which facilitates the real-time gathering, monitoring, and visualization of flooding-related sensor data. HYDROSIGHT system also provides a log monitoring feature for effective debugging and troubleshooting. The IoT environment for flood monitoring and prediction system was designed to promote sustainability and autonomy by preferring sensors with minimal footprints and compatibility with solar panels. The system architecture leverages a 4G network for seamless data transmission. To validate the practical applicability of the proposed design,HYDROSIGHT system was tested at two municipalities of Quebec, namely Terrebonne, and Lac-Supérieur. In addition, the platform was also deployed at the Ericsson facility in Montreal to test the 5G capabilities. The deployment in these locations allowed us to evaluate the performance and effectiveness of the HYDROSIGHT system in a real flood monitoring environment. In addition to implementing the IoT testbed, a preliminary machine learning tool was developed on water level forecasting. In this experiment, we opted for an online machine-learning approach, recognizing the significance of real-time updates and low computational resources of IoT devices. Leveraging the constantly updating data from HYDROSIGHT, we trained and tested our online machine-learning model, enhancing its forecasting capabilities. We conducted a comparative analysis to understand the advantages of online machine learning over traditional batch learning. This analysis involved examining the water level forecasting results obtained from both methods using time series data from the HYDROSIGHT system deployed at Lac-Supérieur in Quebec.

ArcGIS Inventory Analysis for Risk Assessment of Road Tunnels - Law, Simon (McGill University (Canada), 2023)

Développement d'un modèle numérique topographique et bathymétrique multisource du fleuve Saint-Laurent dans la région de la Communauté métropolitaine du Québec (CMQuébec) pour la modélisation hydrodynamique - Noman, Juzer (2023)
Les inondations sont une préoccupation majeure avec un potentiel de risques importants pour la sécurité publique ainsi qu'un impact économique et social négatif. Pour développer un modèle hydrodynamique permettant de cartographier et d'évaluer les risques d'inondation, un modèle d'élévation est un élément essentiel. La grande disponibilité de données de télédétection multisources facilite la création d'un modèle numérique d'élévation topo-bathymétrique (TBDEM). Cependant, il peut être très difficile de créer un modèle d'élévation à haute résolution homogène adapté à la cartographie des inondations en raison des divergences entre les données topographiques et bathymétriques causées par des changements temporels, des systèmes de référence horizontaux et verticaux différents, et des différences significatives en termes de résolution, incertitude et zone de couverture. Cette étude présente une méthodologie qui élargit les études précédentes axées sur la cartographie côtière à basse résolution en résolvant les différences spatiales et temporelles des jeux de données multisources tout en maintenant l'intégrité de la morphologie des berges et de l'environnement proche du rivage. Ceci est réalisé en appliquant une nouvelle méthodologie de fusion qui est mieux adaptée aux sources de données en jeu. Une méthode de moindre coût est appliquée aux données topographiques alors qu'une méthode de feathering est appliquée aux données bathymétriques. Pour ce qui est de la zone intermédiaire à l'interface de la terre et de l'eau, des transects sont utilisés pour interpoler entre les données manquantes afin de garantir l'intégrité du littoral. Enfin, une méthode de krigeage empirique bayésien appliqué à l'ensemble des données permet de produire une surface sans discontinuité accompagnée d'une surface d'erreur pour analyser l'incertitude en chaque point du modèle. Des données LiDAR aéroporté ainsi que des données de bathymétrie multifaisceau de la section supérieure du fleuve Saint-Laurent au Québec, Canada ont été combinées en utilisant la méthodologie proposée. Le TBDEM produit dans cette étude constitue une meilleure représentation que les modèles précédents et minimise l'erreur dans les données. La capacité de ce TBDEM à être plus performant que les modèles précédents dans les simulations hydrodynamiques sera testée dans des études futures en utilisant des événements de crue enregistrés précédemment.

Conception d’un outil intégré de suivi du couvert de glace à l’aide de la télédétection pour la prévention du risque d’embâcles de glace. - Plante Lévesque, Valérie (Doctorat en sciences de l'eau, 2023)
Les instances responsables d’assurer la gestion des risques d’inondations reliés aux embâcles de glace sont toujours à la recherche d’outils visant à prévenir les risques et réduire les conséquences sur les populations et les infrastructures. Grâce à la modélisation de certains paramètres jouant un rôle dans la formation des embâcles de glace comme la prédisposition géomorphologique et les conditions hydrométéorologiques, la prévention de ceux-ci s’est grandement améliorée. Les modèles axés sur la force de mobilisation de la rivière et sa capacité à contraindre l’écoulement gagnerait en pertinence s’ils pouvaient inclure la résistance du couvert de glace. Les outils de télédétection sont une manière efficace de connaitre l’état du couvert de glace tant sur l’ensemble de la rivière qu'à différents endroits ciblés. Ceux-ci peuvent générer différents produits cartographiques utiles avant, pendant et après les événements. La présente thèse vise à intégrer le suivi du couvert de glace dans les méthodes de prévention des embâcles à l’aide d’outils provenant de la télédétection. Pour ce faire, quatre sous-objectifs ont été accomplis 1) créer une approche de suivi du couvert de glace à grande échelle en exploitant les données de télédétection optique, radar et acquises par drone, 2) développer une méthode de cartographie automatique du type de glace par estimation d’ensemble à partir d’imagerie radar, 3) concevoir un modèle de détection automatique des lieux à risque de débâcle en utilisant les connaissances de personnes expertes pour interpréter les cartes du type de glace et 4) intégrer les outils développés aux autres modèles conçus dans le cadre de DAVE (Dispositif d’alertes et de vigilance aux embâcles). Les contributions originales découlant de cette thèse touchent plusieurs aspects du suivi du couvert de glace. Elles incluent la démonstration de la pertinence des indicateurs de suivi de la glace par la télédétection, la conceptualisation d’une méthode de segmentation de la rivière en secteurs de production, transport et accumulation de la glace, l’élaboration d’un modèle de cartographie du type de glace par estimation d’ensemble plus performant et polyvalent que les classificateurs originaux, la construction d’une base de données de dégradation du couvert de glace à partir des connaissances de personnes expertes en cartographie de la glace et un modèle de classification de la dégradation du couvert de glace. Cette thèse se conclut par l’intégration conceptuelle à l’aide d’une analyse multicritères hiérarchique des différents outils développés au sein de DAVE. The authorities responsible for ice jam flood risk management are always looking for tools to prevent harm and reduce consequences on populations and infrastructure. Ice jam prevention has been greatly improved by modelling certain parameters—such as geomorphic predispositions and hydrometeorological conditions—that are central to ice jam formation. These models focusing on the strength of the river current and its ability to constrain the flow would gain in relevance if they could include ice cover strength. Remote sensing tools are an effective way of knowing the state of the ice cover over the whole river and at different target locations. These can be used to generate different map products to include in monitoring before, during and after hazard events. This dissertation therefore aims to integrate ice cover monitoring into ice jam prevention methods using remote sensing tools. To do so, three main sub-objectives were accomplished: 1) to create a large-scale ice cover monitoring approach using remote sensing data such as optical, radar and drone images, 2) to develop a method for automatic mapping of ice type by ensemble estimation from radar imagery, 3) to design an automatic detection model for breakup risk locations using ice type maps and expert judgment and 4) to integrate the tools developed with other models created within the Dispositif d’alertes et de vigilance des embâcles de glace (DAVE). The original contribution from this work covers multiple aspects of ice cover monitoring. This dissertation demonstrates the relevance of direct indicators of ice monitoring by remote sensing, conceptualizes a method for river segmentation into areas of ice production, transport and accumulation, develops an ensemble-based estimation ice type mapping model more efficient and versatile than the original algorithms, constructs an ice cover degradation database derived from the knowledge of ice mapping experts, and proposes a classification model of ice cover degradation. This dissertation concludes with the conceptual integration by analytic hierarchy process of the different tools developed within DAVE.

The river meanders still: Curation as research-creation for an unknowable exhibition. - Pullen-Legassie, Treva (Concordia University, 2022)
The canalized southernmost section of Wonscotonach (the Don River) in Tkarón:to (Toronto), also known as The Narrows, is a highly disturbed urban natural landscape. Following the 1886 Don Improvement Project, the Keating Channel, and today the Port Lands Revitalization and Flood Protection Project, these Lands have been harnessed and developed through settler colonization to tame and control the once-winding river. This research-creation—in the form of a curated online exhibition and written thesis—presents a critical (re)reading of the notion of improvement, becoming allied to the pre-colonial landscape and the knowledge it carried. This exhibition and thesis develop the concept of the meander, inspired by the non-linear trajectory of the pre-canalized Don River, as a model for the curatorial. The curatorial process of improvement becomes a wall, and the river meanders still began before the global COVID-19 pandemic and, subsequently, was derailed in March 2020. The exhibition’s final form was unknowable throughout much of the curatorial process. Thus, following the meander as a research-creation technique, the curatorial process, exhibitionary structure, and content had to adapt through lingering uncertainty. This thesis, contributing to the theoretical and practical knowledge of research-creation, looks to intersections with the curatorial following the theoretical underpinnings of Erin Manning and Brian Massumi, Natalie Loveless and Stefanie Springgay and Sarah E. Truman. As a project untethered from institutional timelines and normative requirements to ‘know a project in advance,’ as well as the conventions of a physical exhibition, this research-creation manifested through process-led, creative and exploratory techniques (such as walking and drawing) and slowed pace allowed by the COVID-19 pandemic’s reframing of time. This research-creation exhibition and written thesis develop a responsive and resilient curatorial process deeply indebted to Land-based knowledge.

Déterminants de l'intention d'adoption d'un nouvel outil prévisionnel des crues dans le cadre du projet info-crue - Mutabazi, Jean-Paul (Université du Québec à Rimouski, 2022)
RÉSUMÉ : Pour atténuer les risques d'inondation au Québec mais aussi partout dans le monde, plusieurs organismes gouvernementaux et des organismes privés, qui ont dans leurs attributions la gestion des risques des catastrophes naturelles, continuent d'améliorer ou d'innover en matière d'outils qui peuvent les aider efficacement à la mitigation des risques d'inondation et aider la société à mieux s'adapter aux changements climatiques, ce qui implique des nouvelles technologies pour la conception de ces outils. Après les inondations de 2017, le ministère de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques (MELCC) du gouvernement du Québec, en collaboration avec d'autres ministères et organismes et soutenu par Ouranos, a initié le projet INFO-Crue qui vise d'une part, à revoir la cartographie des zones inondables et, d'autre part, à mieux outiller les communautés et les décideurs en leur fournissant une cartographie prévisionnelle des crues de rivières. De ce fait, l'objectif de notre travail de recherche est d'analyser de façon empirique les facteurs qui influencent l'adoption d'un outil prévisionnel des crues. La revue de la littérature couvre les inondations et les prévisions, les théories et les modèles d'acceptation de la technologie de l'information (TI). Pour atteindre l'objectif de recherche, le modèle développé s'est appuyé particulièrement sur le modèle qui combine les concepts de la théorie unifiée de l'acceptation et l'utilisation des technologies (UTAUT) de Venkatesh et al. (2003) avec le concept « risque d'utilisation ». Afin de répondre à notre objectif de recherche, nous avons utilisé une méthodologie de recherche quantitative hypothético-déductive. Une collecte de données à l'aide d'une enquête par questionnaire électronique a été réalisée auprès de 106 citoyens qui habitent dans des zones inondables. L'analyse des résultats concorde avec la littérature. La nouvelle variable « risque d'utilisation » rajoutée au modèle UTAUT a engendré trois variables qui sont : « risque psychologique d'utilisation »; « risque de performance de l'outil » et « perte de confiance ». Pour expliquer l'adoption d'un nouvel outil prévisionnel des crues, notre analyse a révélé que cinq variables à savoir : « l'utilité perçue », « la facilité d'utilisation », « l'influence sociale », « la perte de confiance » et « le risque psychologique » sont des facteurs significatifs pour l'adoption du nouvel outil prévisionnel. -- Mot(s) clé(s) en français : Inondation, Prévision, UTAUT, Adoption de la technologie, Risque perçu d'utilisation, facteurs d'adoption, Projet INFO-Crue. -- ABSTRACT : With the aim of mitigating flood risks in Canada as well as around the world, several government and private organizations that have the responsibility of natural hazard risk management, are working hard to improve or innovate the flood mitigation approaches that can help effectively reducing flood risks and helping people adapt to climate change. After the 2017 floods, the Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change (MELCC) of the Government of Quebec, in collaboration with other ministries and organizations and supported by Ouranos, initiated the INFO-Crue project which aims at reviewing the mapping of flood zones and providing communities and decision-makers with a forecast mapping of river floods. In this context, the objective of our research is to analyze the factors that may influence the adoption of a flood forecasting tool. The literature review covers flood and forecasting, as well as technology adoption models. To achieve the goal of our research, a conceptual model that combines the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) of Venkatesh et al. (2003) with perceived use risk was developed. A quantitative research methodology was used, and we administrate an electronic questionnaire survey to 106 citizens who live in flood-plain area. Results analysis show that the new variable "perceived use risk" introduced in the model generates three variables which are: "psychological risk"; "performance risk" and "loss of trust". To explain the adoption of a new forecasting tool, our analysis revealed that the following five variables which are "perceived usefulness", "ease of use", "social influence", "loss of trust" and "psychological risk" are significant factors for the adoption of the new forecasting tool. -- Mot(s) clé(s) en anglais : Flood, Forecasting, UTAUT, Technology Adoption, perceived Risk of use, adoption factors, INFO-Crue project.

Progress Toward a Practical GNSS-R Water Level Sensor - Purnell, David (McGill University (Canada), 2022)

Integrated Modeling of Short-Term Flood Forecasting in the Ottawa River - Ousoukhman, Hamza (Polytechnique Montréal, 2021)
RÉSUMÉ: Les inondations sont considérées comme l'un des risques naturels les plus dangereux au monde. Plusieurs pays souffrent des conséquences néfastes des inondations. Au Canada, plusieurs provinces ont subi des inondations au cours du siècle dernier. Par exemple, la rivière des Outaouais a été confrontée à de nombreuses inondations comme en 2017 et 2019. La population d'Ottawa continue à augmenter d'une année à l'autre. C'est pour cela que nous avons choisi la rivière des Outaouais comme étude de cas pour ce projet dans le but de protéger la société contre les risques causés par les inondations. Les pays adoptent plusieurs solutions basées sur différentes méthodes afin de minimiser les dommages causés par les crues. La plupart des scientifiques s'accordent que la prévision des crues est la meilleure façon de limiter les conséquences des crues. Les systèmes de prévision des crues sont indispensables dans les pays fréquemment confrontés à des crues. Ils visent à fournir un long délai d'exécution et à fournir aux autorités et aux décideurs des informations suffisantes. Par conséquent, ils auront suffisamment de temps pour prendre les mesures adéquates pour sauver la vie de la population et limiter les catastrophes économiques dues aux inondations. ABSTRACT: Floods are one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in Canada and around the world that can cause loss of life and damages to properties and infrastructures. Saguenay flood (1996), southern Alberta flood (2013), and Ottawa floods (2017, 2019), are a few examples of Canadian floods with tremendous socio-economic impacts. Flood forecasting and predicting its characteristics (e.g., its magnitude and extent) has an important role in preventing and mitigating such flood impacts. Particularly, short-term forecasting is crucial for early warning systems and emergency response to floods. This study presents an integrated hydraulic-hydrologic modeling system for flood prediction. In this system, the Delft3D two-dimensional hydrodynamic model is connected with a HEC-HMS hydrologic model and observation data to provide an automatic exchange of data and results. Delft3D and HEC-HMS were chosen for this study because they were widely used and provided good results. In addition, they were applied in several flood forecasting studies. The prediction weather data and watershed characteristics provide input to the hydrological model to predict streamflow conditions, which are then automatically fed into the hydrodynamic model. The hydrodynamic model simulates the flood characteristics such as water level, 2D depth-averaged velocity field, and flood extent.

Assessing the influence of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation on discharge variability in western North America - Noel, Duane D. (Concordia University, 2021)
The frequency of natural hazards in North America presents a significant challenge for governments due to the damages they cause to the environment. Floods are severe hydrological events caused by spring snowmelt and intense rain events. Flood frequency analysis studies assumes that annual peak flood events occur independently of each other, regardless of previous flood events (the independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) assumption); however, annual peak flood records do not necessarily appear to conform to these assumptions. First, a review of the literature on the effects of climate oscillations on extreme flood frequencies in North America was conducted. Then, the i.i.d. flood event assumption was tested by analyzing the effects of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) on 250 naturally flowing annual peak flood records across the entire western North American margin. Using permutation tests on quantile-quantile (Q-Q) plots, I found that the PDO has a greater impact on the magnitude of annual peak floods than the AMO. Twenty-six percent of the gauges have higher magnitude annual floods depending on the PDO phase (p < 0.1). Next, I examined the interacting effects of the PDO and AMO on the frequencies of lower and upper quartile annual peak floods, and found reinforcing, cancelling, and dominating effects. Since these two climate oscillations have significant effects on the magnitudes of annual peak floods, the i.i.d. assumption does not hold. Hence, I advocate for the need to re-assess baseline flood analysis in western North America to improve flood management strategies.

Adaptive meshing methodology based on topometric data for dambreak inundation assessments - Moslemi, Mahdi (École de technologie supérieure, 2019)
Flood maps are the final products of dam failure studies that are required by dam safety regulations. A flood limit, which represents the maximum envelope reached by flood waves, is generally the result of a dam-break scenario simulated by a hydraulic numerical model. However, the numerical model uses only a limited portion of the available bathymetry data to build the terrain model (2D mesh plus topometric elevation at nodes). This is particularly so in the cases where the topo-metric data recorded by LIDAR was estimated in several million points. But the hydraulic numerical models rarely exceed hundreds of thousands of nodes, in particular because of the computer constraints and time associated with the operation of these models. The production of the final flood map requires consistency between projected levels and elevations for all points on the map. This verification may be tedious for a large area with several small secondary valleys of tributary streams that have not been represented by the original hydraulic numerical model. The aim of this work is to propose an automatic remeshing strategy that uses the envelope of the maximum dimensions reached by the original model coupled with the available LIDAR data to produce an improved mesh that can accurately capture the wet/dry fronts and the overflows of the secondary valleys. This model helps us to consider the maximum slope inside each element on the basis of the real data, instead of controlling the slope for not having negative depth or controlling the velocity. The algorithm is based on a few basic steps: (i) find the elements cut by the envelope of the wet/dry interfaces; (ii) project the topometric points onto the cut elements; (iii) if these points are very close to the interface, if they are found in a valley, or if they are more elevated than the corresponding cut elements, then these points will be added to the previous nodes and included in a subsequent triangulation step; and (iv) re-run the simulation on the new mesh. This algorithm has been implemented and validated in the study of a dambreak flow with a complex river topography on the Eastmain River and the Romaine-Puyjalon River.

Extremal modeling of dependent and non-stationary series and joint modeling of extreme rainfall at multiple sites - Murphy, Orla A. (McGill University (Canada), 2018)

A comparative assessment of hydrologic models of varying complexity applied to a semi-arid region (Sardinia, Italy). for climate change studies - Perra, Enrica (Università degli Studi di Cagliari - Université du Québec, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, 2018)
L'évaluation de l'impact hydrologique du changement climatique présente une importance particulière pour les bassins de la Méditerranée, qui sont très sensibles aux événements hydrologiques extrêmes. La modélisation des systèmes aussi complexes pour la gestion des ressources hydriques est un défi difficile. L'objectif global de ce travail est de contribuer au développement d'une approche de modélisation qui permette l'évaluation de l'impact hydrologique du changement climatique sur deux bassins de la Méditerranée, localisés en Sardaigne. Cette contribution se concentre sur deux sujets principaux: comprendre comment la représentation physique des modèles hydrologiques grave sur l'évaluation de l'impact hydrologique dû au changement climatique sur un bassin avec un climat semi-aride, le Rio Mannu di San Sperate, et montrer comme le modélisation avancé puisse aider à définir de mesures de modération et adaptation dans un système complexe enclin aux événements hydrique extrêmes, le Flumendosa, en conditions de changement climatique. Pour atteindre cet objectif le travail s'articule en trois phases. Les effets du changement climatique sur le bassin du Rio Mannu sont évalués à travers la comparaison des résultats de cinq modèles hydrologiques, CATchment HYdrology (CATHY), Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), TIN-based Real time Integrated Basin Simulator (tRIBS), TOPographic Kinematic APproximation and Integration-eXtended (TOPKAPI-X), and Water flow and balance Simulation Model (WASIM), en utilisant comme forçage atmosphérique les données de quatre combinaisons de modèles climatiques globaux (GCM) et régionaux (RCM). Pour évaluer les incertitudes une métrique récemment proposée est utilisée: les résultats des modèles sont comparés pendant une période de référence et future, en utilisant l'index de corrélation de Pearson et le bias de Duveiller. Même si certaines différences existent, en tout les modèles hydrologiques montrent une bonne concordance, et ils répondent de manière semblable à la réduction de la précipitation et à l'accroissement de la température prévu par les modèles climatiques. Il s'attend donc que le bassin dans l'avenir sera sujet à une réduction de la disponibilité de ressource hydrique, avec des conséquences négatives en particulier pour le secteur agricole. Une comparaison détaillée des réponses obtenue sur le même bassin avec trois modèles hydrologique à base physique avec différent degré pour ce qui concerne la représentation des procès physiques et des caractéristiques du terrain, CATHY, TOPKAPI-X, tRIBS, est effectué dans le but de tester la transférabilité des paramètres entre les trois modèles hydrologiques, avec une attention particulière sur les difficultés relevées dans les périodes de calibrage et validation. Tandis que les trois modèles ont répondu de manière semblable pendant la période de calibrage, significatives différences ont été relevées pendant la période de validation, caractérisé par un climat très sec, avec le modèle CATHY, qu'il a produit un très bas décharge. En conséquence, pour obtenir résultats satisfaisants avec le modèle CATHY, l’hypothèse de croûtage de sol a été assumée, sur la base dont la couche premier de sol a été modelée avec une conductibilité hydraulique saturée réduite. Finalement le modèle TOPKAPI-X est implémenté sur un des principaux bassins de la Sardaigne, d'importance stratégique pour le système hydrique de la région, le Flumendosa, afin d’évaluer les effets du changement climatique à plus grande échelle. Le modèle répond avec une diminution des valeurs de décharge, contenu hydrique et évapotranspiration réelle à la réduction de la précipitation et accroissement des températures prévus par les modèles climatiques en donnant aussi support à une scène future de carence de la ressource hydrique dans ce bassin de la zone Méditerranéenne. Assessing the hydrologic impacts of climate change is of great importance in the Mediterranean basins, which are heavily sensitive to climate variability, with significant impacts on water resources and hydrologic extremes. Modeling such complex systems to manage water resources and predict hydrologic extremes is a difficult task. The overall aim of the work described in this thesis is to bring a contribution in developing a modeling approach that allows evaluation of local hydrologic impacts of climate changes in two Mediterranean catchments located in Sardinia. This contribution revolves around two main themes: understanding how physical representation of hydrologic models can affect hydrologic impact assessment under climate change on a semi-arid basin of the Mediterranean region, the Rio Mannu catchment, and demonstrating how advanced hydrologic modeling can help in defining adaptation measures in a complex water system, the Flumendosa basin, under climate change. The work to achieve the general objective is elaborated into three stages. The effects of climate change are evaluated on the Rio Mannu catchment through comparison of the results from five hydrologic models, CATchment HYdrology (CATHY), Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), TIN-based Real time Integrated Basin Simulator (tRIBS), TOPographic Kinematic APproximation and Integration-eXtended (TOPKAPI-X), and Water flow and balance Simulation Model (WASIM), and using as atmospheric input outputs of four climate global (GCM) and regional (RCM) model combinations. In order to evaluate uncertainties, a recently proposed metric is used: climate and hydrologic models results are compared in terms of agreement with each other in reference and future periods using Pearson correlation values and Duveiller bias. Notwithstanding some differences, overall the five hydrologic models show good agreement, and they respond similarly to the reduced precipitation and increased temperatures predicted by the climate models, lending strong support to a future scenario of increased water shortages for this region of the Mediterranean, with negative consequences especially for the agricultural sector. Detailed comparison of the responses obtained with three physically based hydrologic models, but to varying degrees as regards physical processes and terrain features representation – CATHY, tRIBS, and TOPKAPI-X – on the same catchment is carried out, with the aim to test the transferability of parameters between the three hydrologic models, focusing in particular on the calibration and validation difficulties. While the three hydrologic models responded similarly during the calibration year, significant differences were found for the drier validation period for the CATHY model, which produced very low streamflow. To obtain satisfactory results for the CATHY model, an hypothesis of soil crusting was assumed and the first soil layer was modeled with a lower saturated hydraulic conductivity. Finally, the TOPKAPI-X model is applied on a large Sardinian basin prone to extreme flood events, the Flumendosa basin, to assess the hydrologic impact of climate change at much larger scale. The model responds with decreasing value of discharge, soil water content, and actual evapotranspiration to the reduced precipitation and increased temperature predicted by the climate models, lending strong support to a future scenario of increased water shortages also in this basin of the Mediterranean region. La valutazione dell’impatto idrologico del cambiamento climatico riveste particolare importanza per i bacini del Mediterraneo, sensibili ad eventi idrologici estremi. Modellizzare dei sistemi così complessi per la gestione della risorse idriche è una sfida difficile. L’obiettivo globale di questo lavoro è contribuire allo sviluppo di un approccio modellistico che consenta la valutazione dell’impatto idrologico del cambiamento climatico su due bacini del Mediterraneo localizzati in Sardegna. Questo contributo si focalizza su due temi principali: capire come la rappresentazione fisica dei modelli idrologici incida sulla valutazione dell’impatto idrologico dovuto al cambiamento climatico su un bacino con un clima semi-arido, il Rio Mannu di San Sperate, e dimostrare come la modellizzazione avanzata possa aiutare nel definire misure di adattamento in un sistema idrico complesso incline ad eventi estremi, il Flumendosa, in condizioni di cambiamento climatico. Per raggiungere tale obiettivo il lavoro si articola in tre fasi. Gli effetti del cambiamento climatico sul bacino del Rio Mannu sono stati valutati attraverso il confronto dei risultati di cinque modelli idrologici, CATchment HYdrology (CATHY), Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), TIN-based Real time Integrated Basin Simulator (tRIBS), TOPographic Kinematic APproximation and Integration-eXtended (TOPKAPI-X), and Water flow and balance Simulation Model (WASIM), utilizzando come forzante atmosferica gli output di quattro combinazioni di modelli climatici globali (GCM) e regionali (RCM). Per valutare le incertezze è stata utilizzata una metrica recentemente proposta: i risultati dei modelli sono stati comparati durante un periodo di riferimento e futuro, utilizzando l’indice di correlazione di Pearson e il bias di Duveiller. Pur con qualche differenza, complessivamente i modelli idrologici mostrano una buona concordanza tra loro, e rispondono in maniera simile alla riduzione della precipitazione e all’incremento della temperatura previsti dai modelli climatici. Ci si aspetta pertanto che il bacino nel futuro sarà soggetto ad una riduzione della disponibilità di risorsa idrica, con conseguenze negative in particolare per il settore agricolo. È stato effettuato un confronto dettagliato delle risposte ottenute sullo stesso bacino con tre modelli idrologici fisicamente basati di diverso grado per quanto riguarda la rappresentazione dei processi fisici e delle caratteristiche del terreno, CATHY, TOPKAPI-X, tRIBS, con lo scopo di testare la trasferibilità dei parametri tra i tre modelli idrologici, concentrandosi sulle difficoltà riscontrate nei periodi di calibrazione e validazione. Mentre i tre modelli hanno risposto in maniera simile durante il periodo di calibrazione, sono state riscontrate significative differenze durante il periodo di validazione, caratterizzato da un clima molto secco, con il modello CATHY, che ha prodotto una portata molto bassa. Pertanto, per ottenere risultati soddisfacenti con il modello CATHY, è stata assunta l’ipotesi di soil crusting, sulla base della quale il primo strato di suolo è stato modellato con una ridotta conducibilità idraulica satura. Infine il modello TOPKAPI-X è stato implementato su uno dei principali bacini sardi di importanza strategica per il sistema idrico della regione, il Flumendosa, per valutare gli effetti del cambiamento climatico a scala maggiore. Il modello risponde con una diminuzione dei valori di portata, contenuto idrico ed evapotraspirazione reale alla riduzione della precipitazione ed incremento della temperature previsto dai modelli climatici, dando supporto ad uno scenario futuro di carenza della risorsa idrica anche in questo bacino dell’area Mediterranea.

Essays on Water Infrastructure Investments and Infectious Diseases Management - Kouassi, Régis (2024)
En étant nécessaire à la vie humaine, l’eau est également nécessaire au fonctionnement des économies. Pour qu’elle soit utile à la société, l’eau doit être disponible en quantité et en qualité adéquates, caractéristiques qui ne sont pas toujours disponibles dans la nature. Ainsi, trop ou pas assez d’eau entraînerait des inondations ou des sécheresses, tandis qu’une eau contaminée pourrait être le vecteur de maladies contagieuses mortelles, chacun de ces fléaux entraînant des dommages économiques. Cette thèse est organisée en trois chapitres traitant de thématiques liées aux investissements dans les infrastructures d'eau et à la gestion des maladies infectieuses. Le premier chapitre étudie comment les améliorations apportées aux réseaux d’égouts atténuent les impacts économiques des inondations provoquées par la pluie. Pour estimer l’effet causal de ces investissements, ce chapitre utilise un resserrement inattendu du financement fédéral américain en faveur des réseaux d’égouts, à la suite de l’amendement de 1977 à la politique du Clean Water Act. L'analyse empirique combine un nouveau modèle statistique du risque d'inondation induit par la pluie avec des données horaires sur la quantité de pluie dans les comtés et les codes postaux américains de 1996 à 2019. Les résultats indiquent que des investissements plus importants dans les réseaux d'égouts ont conduit à des réductions substantielles des inondations locales. Les bénéfices de ces investissements sont supérieurs à leurs coûts, économisant près de 23 millions de dollars pour le comté moyen. Dans l’ensemble, ces résultats mettent en évidence à quel point la détérioration des infrastructures publiques peut exacerber les conséquences du changement climatique. Le deuxième chapitre étudie le rôle des épidémies locales de maladies infectieuses dans l'adoption de systèmes centralisés d'approvisionnement en eau dans les premières villes américaines au XIXe siècle. À l’aide d’un vaste corpus de données provenant d’archives de journaux de 1800 à 1896, je construis un nouvel indicateur capturant les épidémies de fièvre jaune, de choléra et de fièvre typhoïde au niveau des villes. Les résultats indiquent que (1) les épidémies locales de maladies infectieuses ont entraîné une augmentation du nombre systèmes d'approvisionnement en eau construits par les villes et ont joué un rôle crucial dans la décision de construire environ 12% des ouvrages d’adduction d’eau en activité en 1897 ; (2) La réponse des villes aux épidémies de typhoïde a été deux fois plus importante que celle qui a suivi les épidémies de fièvre jaune ou de choléra. (3) Les entreprises privées ont construit davantage de nouveaux réseaux d’adduction d’eau après les épidémies locales, tandis que les gouvernements locaux ont procédé à davantage d’améliorations et d’extensions des réseaux d’adduction d’eau publics existants ainsi qu’à des rachats de sociétés d’eau privées. Enfin, je discute du rôle potentiel de divers facteurs sociodémographiques. Le troisième chapitre étudie les coûts économiques associés à une stratégie utilisée pour gérer les épidémies locales lors de la récente pandémie de COVID-19. Dans ce travail en collaboration avec Jian Tang, nous quantifions les effets de la politique ‘zéro-COVID’ à l’aide d’un riche ensemble de données sur les confinements au niveau des comtés en Chine et d’images satellitaires nocturnes. Nous constatons que des confinements plus stricts induisent une forte baisse de la luminosité nocturne au cours de la même période, suivie d’une lente reprise, qui se produit au moins deux trimestres après l’instauration du confinement. En l’absence de contagions généralisées, un comté soumis à un confinement total subit en moyenne une perte de PIB de 6% par rapport aux comtés non confinés. L’effet négatif est particulièrement persistant dans les zones où la production est dominée par les services, par opposition aux zones où la production est dominée par l’activité manufacturière. L’on note par ailleurs la présence d’effets d’entraînement à proximité des comtés confinés, mais ces effets sont de courte durée.

Influence du régime de crues printanières sur la structure et la composition des peuplements riverains de frênes noirs (Fraxinus nigra Marsh.) du lac Duparquet - Delayance, Lou (Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, 2024)
Les débits reconstitués pour le nord-ouest du Québec démontrent une augmentation de la fréquence et de la magnitude des crues printanières en lien avec l’augmentation des précipitations nivales depuis le début du XIXe siècle. Autour du lac Duparquet, une migration des peuplements de frêne noir (Fraxinus nigra Marsh.) vers l’intérieur des terres en réponse à ces changements a été rapportée. Pour anticiper la réponse des frênaies noires du lac Duparquet face aux changements climatiques et hydrologiques à venir, cette étude décrit les conditions favorisant la présence de F. nigra et la structuration des peuplements en lien avec la dynamique des crues printanières depuis le début du XXe siècle. L’étude se structure autour des objectifs suivants : i) déterminer la composition et l’organisation des communautés végétales associées à F. nigra le long du gradient d’élévation; ii) déterminer les facteurs limitant l’expansion des frênaies noires dans les basses et hautes plaines alluviales; et iii) déterminer les fréquences d’occurrence des crues printanières le long du gradient d’élévation des plaines alluviales et identifier les fréquences de retour des crues printanières associées à chaque groupement floristique. Vingt-quatre frênaies noires du lac Duparquet et de ses affluents ont été échantillonnées durant l’été 2022 en utilisant un échantillonnage par stratification verticale de la végétation le long de transects perpendiculaires à la rive, avec mesure de variables environnementales et écologiques. Une analyse par regroupement hiérarchique associée à une analyse d’espèces indicatrices a permis d’identifier des communautés végétales associées aux frênaies noires et notamment trois communautés distribuées le long des gradients d’élévation et de distance à la rive depuis la plaine alluviale basse (communauté i) frênaie à Onoclea sensibilis L.), moyenne (communauté ii) frênaie à Rhamnus alnifiolia L’Her.), et haute (communauté iii) frênaie à Athyrium filix-feminina (Linn.) Roth). Les structures de diamètre révèlent que les zones des basses et hautes plaines alluviales sont moins denses en F. nigra et composées d’arbres plus jeunes. Les analyses des cernes de crues montrent une diminution significative de la fréquence d’occurrence des crues printanières de faible et forte intensité entre les groupements floristiques depuis les basses vers les hautes plaines inondables. Les fréquences moyennes d’occurrences des crues le long du gradient d’élévation participent donc à expliquer la structure des frênaies noires du lac Duparquet. Cette recherche fournit des paramètres écologiques de base, essentiels pour maintenir un équilibre dynamique dans les frênaies noires, notamment en cas de modifications des débits des cours d'eau, comme celles induites par des aménagements hydroélectriques ou de futurs changements climatiques.

Assessing the coupled impact of hydrological model structures and snow observations on spring season flow forecasts through data assimilation - Farhoodi, Sepehr (Université de Sherbrooke, 2024)
Abstract: Accurate spring flow forecasts, primarily driven by snow accumulation and melt processes, are essential for decision-makers aiming to optimize hydro-electricity production and mitigate potential flood damages in snow-dominated regions. By integrating snowpack data from diverse sources (in-situ, remote sensing, and reanalysis) with modeled snow-related state variables through Data Assimilation (DA), there is the potential to leverage both modeling and observations for more accurate estimation of the resulting spring flow. However, challenges such as the lack of sufficient snow station networks and issues with optical and microwave sensors to provide Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) can hinder progress, particularly in regions with heterogeneous snowpack characteristics. Overcoming these challenges is crucial to realizing the full potential of snow DA in advancing spring flow forecasts. This thesis aims to optimize spring flow forecasting effectiveness using snow DA, where snow-related observations are incorporated into hydrological models. It investigates the best hydrological model structure (a lumped model: HSAMI, and a distributed model: HYDROTEL) for leveraging distributed SWE data provided by SNODAS (SNOw Data Assimilation System) dataset, which serves as the observation. This DA framework is applied on a large, heterogeneous northern Québec watershed (Outardes 4). It does so by updating SWE model states of HYDROTEL and HSAMI using the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) DA method. The simulated spring flow are then compared to observed spring flow data. Another scope of the thesis is to compare two reanalysis products with varying spatial resolutions and SWE representations (SNODAS and ERA5-Land) for improving 1-day spring flow forecasts in HYDROTEL over a smaller southern Québec watershed (Au Saumon). Finally, the thesis assesses the forecasting skill of the optimal model-observation combination over an extended 30-day forecast horizon using various probabilistic and deterministic metrics. The forecasting skills are evaluated in terms of SWE estimations during the snowpack accumulation and melt periods, and their impacts on spring flow. Among the two hydrological models considered (i.e., HYDROTEL and HSAMI), HYDROTEL proves to be a better candidate to unlock the full potential of distributed SNODAS SWE dataset through DA over a large watershed with spatially variable SWE. This is seen by improved 1-day spring flow forecasts metrics over many years (2014-2017). From the observation source point of view, SNODAS DA results in a more consistent 1-day spring flow forecasts compared to ERA5-Land over Au Saumon. However, the improvements in 1-day spring flow forecasts induced by SNODAS DA are comparatively modest over Au Saumon compared to Outardes 4, with NSE changing from 0.44 to 0.45, 0.31 to 0.34, and 0.59 to 0.61 for the 2014-2017 time period. This could be rooted in alignments between the physiographic characteristics of the watershed and the frequency of DA updates. The results obtained from the first two chapters of the thesis provide a snow DA framework with the capability to improve short-term and mid-term SWE forecasts with varying influence over the forecast horizon given the snowpack period considered (i.e., formation and ablation). The improved SWE estimations lead to increased accuracy and better uncertainty representations, as measured by Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE), Relative Bias (RB), and Continuous Ranked Probability Score (CRPS), in spring flow forecasts for the Outardes 4 watershed over the study period (2014-2017).

Land use and soil structure impacts on soil microbial community response to flooding - Harman-Denhoed, Rachael (McGill University (Canada), 2024)
Keywords: Natural Resource Sciences

Analyse de l'écoulement stratifié sur les seuils du fjord du Saguenay - Guay, Jérôme (Université du Québec à Rimouski, 2023)
RÉSUMÉ : Le fjord du Saguenay est une vallée glacière de 110 km de long et de 280 m de profondeur maximale qui relie la rivière Saguenay à sa tête à l'estuaire du Saint-Laurent à son embouchure. La bathymétrie du fjord est caractérisée par 3 seuils : le seuil peu profond (~ 20 m) à l'embouchure, un seuil intermédiaire (60 m) à 20 km en amont et un seuil profond (120 m) à 35 km en amont. Ces seuils séparent le fjord en 3 bassins : le bassin extérieur, le bassin intermédiaire et le bassin intérieur. La circulation dans le fjord est forcée par l'apport d'eau douce de la rivière Saguenay à sa tête, de grandes marées (jusqu'à 6 m de marnage) à son embouchure qui apportent de l'eau salée ainsi que par le vent. La circulation à grande échelle a été caractérisée par trois régimes saisonniers au cours desquels les eaux profondes, intermédiaires et de sous-surface du bassin intérieur sont renouvelées respectivement au début de l'hiver, en été et à la fin de l'hiver. Des indications indirectes suggèrent que ces régimes sont déterminés par des processus turbulents qui se produisent localement à chacun de ces trois seuils. Ici, nous présentons les résultats des expériences de terrain que nous avons menées qui visaient à étudier plus directement la dynamique des processus de seuil induits par les courants de marées ainsi que les modifications de masse d'eau qui surviennent aux seuils. À ce jour, nos mesures fournissent la description la plus précise et la plus complète des structures d'écoulement de marée stratifié autour des seuils internes du fjord du Saguenay. Nous avons également observé qu'un ressaut hydraulique interne semble se former lors de chaque marée descendante en aval du seuil intermédiaire, mais pas lors des marées montantes. Des recherches sont toujours en cours pour mieux comprendre cette asymétrie, mais notre hypothèse est que la présence d'une masse d'eau plus salée en amont du seuil intermédiaire empêche la formation d'un ressaut hydraulique, un processus qui pourrait être similaire à celui documenté à Knight Inlet (Colombie-Britannique, Canada). -- Mot(s) clé(s) en français : Fjord du Saguenay, Estuaire du St-Laurent, Processus de Seuil, Mélange Turbulent, Océanographique Côtière. -- ABSTRACT : The Saguenay Fjord is a 110 km long and 280 m deep (max depth) multi-silled glacial valley that connects the Saguenay River at its head with the St. Lawrence Estuary at its mouth. The bathymetry is characterized by 3 sills : a shallow 20-m deep sill at the mouth, an intermediate 60-m deep sill 20 km up-fjord and a deep 120-m sill 35 km up-fjord. These sills separate 3 basins, the outer, the intermediate and the inner basins. The circulation in the fjord is forced by the Saguenay River at its head that brings freshwater, large tides (up to 6 m range) at its mouth that brings salt water and by wind. The large-scale circulation has been characterized by four seasonally dependent regimes during which the deep, intermediate and subsurface waters of the inner basin are being renewed, respectively, during early winter, summer and late winter. There are indirect indications that those regimes are determined by turbulent processes occurring locally at each of these three sills. Here, we carried out field experiments to more directly investigate the detailed dynamics of tidally-driven sill processes and water mass modifications occurring across these three sills. Our measurements provide to date the most accurate and complete description of the stratified tidal flow structures around these sills. We also found that an internal hydraulic jump seems to form every ebb tide on the down-fjord side of the intermediate sill but not during flood tide on the up-fjord side. Research is ongoing to better understand this asymmetry but our hypothesis is that it is the presence of a salty pool up-fjord of the sill that prevents the formation of a hydraulic jump, a process that may be similar to that documented in Knight Inlet (British Columbia, Canada). -- Mot(s) clé(s) en anglais : Saguenay Fjord, St-Lawrence Estuary, Sill Processes, Turbulent Mixing, Coastal Oceanography.

Développement d'une nouvelle approche d'extraction du réseau de surface à partir d'un nuage de points LiDAR massif basée sur la théorie de Morse - Dahbi, Aymane (2023)
Aujourd'hui, la cartographie des réseaux hydrographiques est un sujet important pour la gestion et l'aménagement de l'espace forestier, la prévention contre les risques d'inondation, etc. Les données sources pour cartographier les cours d'eau sont des nuages de points obtenus par des lidars aéroportés. Cependant, les méthodes d'extraction des réseaux usuelles nécessitent des opérations de découpage, de rééchantillonnage et d'assemblage des résultats pour produire un réseau complet, altérant la qualité des résultats et limitant l'automatisation des traitements. Afin de limiter ces opérations, une nouvelle approche d'extraction est considérée. Cette approche propose de construire un réseau de crêtes et de talwegs à partir des points lidar, puis transforme ce réseau en réseau hydrographique. Notre recherche consiste à concevoir une méthode d'extraction robuste du réseau adaptée aux données massives. Ainsi, nous proposons d'abord une approche de calcul du réseau adaptée aux surfaces triangulées garantissant la cohérence topologique du réseau. Nous proposons ensuite une architecture s'appuyant sur des conteneurs pour paralléliser les calculs et ainsi traiter des données massives.

Validation et adaptation d’une approche géomatique pour délimiter en première approximation les zones inondées à partir du débit simulé par un modèle hydrologique distribué. - El Batti, Zainab (Maîtrise en sciences de l'eau, 2023)
Au Québec, les conditions printanières extraordinaires de 2017 et 2019 ont incité le gouvernement provincial à commander une mise à jour des cartes des zones inondables. La plupart des cartes existantes ne reflètent pas adéquatement l’aménagement actuel du territoire, ni l’aléa associé. Généralement, pour la cartographie, les modèles hydrodynamiques tel que HEC-RAS sont utilisés, mais ces outils nécessitent une expertise significative, des données hydrométriques et des relevés bathymétriques à haute résolution. Étant donnée la nécessité de mettre à jour ces cartes tout en réduisant les coûts financiers associés, des méthodes conceptuelles simplifiées ont été développées. Ces approches, y compris l’approche géomatique HAND (Height above the nearest drainage), qui reposent uniquement sur un modèle numérique d’élévation (MNE), sont de plus en plus utilisées. HAND permet de calculer la hauteur d’eau nécessaire pour inonder chaque pixel du MNE selon la différence entre son élévation et celle du pixel du cours d’eau dans lequel il se déverse. Les informations sur la géométrie hydraulique dérivées par HAND ainsi que l’application de l’équation de Manning permettent la construction d’une courbe de tarage synthétique (CTS) pour chaque tronçon de rivière homogène. Dans la littérature, cette méthode a été appliquée pour établir une cartographie de la zone inondable de première instance de grands fleuves aux États-Unis avec un taux de correspondance de 90% par rapport à l’utilisation de HEC-RAS. Elle n’a toutefois pas été appliquée sur de petits bassins versants, car ceux-ci engendrent des défis méthodologiques substantiels. Ce projet s’attaque à ces défis sur deux bassins versants Québécois, ceux des rivières à la Raquette et Delisle. Les conditions frontières des modèles sont dérivées d’un traitement statistique empirique des séries de débits simulés avec le modèle hydrologique HYDROTEL. Étant donnée l’absence de stations météorologiques sur le territoire à l’étude, des chroniques du système Canadien d’Analyse de la précipitation (CaPA) ont été utilisées pour cette modélisation hydrologique. Les résultats de ce projet pointent vers des performances satisfaisantes de l’approche géomatique HAND-CTS en comparaison avec le modèle hydrodynamique HEC-RAS (1D/2D et 2D au complet), avec des taux de correspondance entre les étendues des inondations supérieurs à 60 % pour les bassins versants de Delisle et à la Raquette. Les comparaisons étaient effectuées sur une gamme de débit allant d’un débit de période de retour de 2 ans jusqu’à un débit de plus de 350 ans. On notera que l’application sur la rivière à la Raquette a été développée dans les règles de l’art, incluant un processus de calage développé dans le cadre d’un projet de maitrise en sciences de l’eau connexe à ce mémoire, relativement à la longueur du tronçon, le calage vertical de la CTS en considérant la hauteur d’eau présente dans le cours d’eau lors du relevé LiDAR et sa précision verticale. Les résultats ont montré que le coefficient de précision globale le plus bas était de 98 % pour un débit de 350 ans, avec une précision de plus que 99 % pour les autres périodes de retour, ce qui représente une très bonne performance du modèle. Et par ailleurs, le coefficient de Kappa conditionnel humide variait entre 58 % et 28 %. Alors, que pour la rivière Delisle, l’application se veut naïve, c’est-à-dire sans calage préalable de la méthode HANDCTS. La précision globale a varié entre 83 % et 96 %, ce qui est considéré comme "très approprié" et une variation du coefficient Kappa conditionnel humide de 35,2 à 64,3 %. Alors que pour une différence d’élévations d'eau entre les élévations de référence et simulées, la performance était quantifiée par un RMSE qui variait pour les périodes de retour de 100 ans et de 350 ans respectivement de 4,5 m et de 7,1 m. Enfin, la distribution spatiale des différences d’élévations montre une distribution gaussienne avec une moyenne qui est à peu près égale à 0 où la plupart des erreurs se situent entre -0,34 m et 1,1 m La cartographie des zones inondables dérivée de HAND-CTS présente encore certains défis associés notamment à la présence d’infrastructures urbaines complexes (ex. : ponceaux, ponts et seuils) dont l’influence hydraulique n’est pas considérée. Dans le contexte où l’ensemble du Québec (529 000 km²) dispose d’une couverture LiDAR, les résultats de ce mémoire permettront de mieux comprendre les sources d’incertitude associées à la méthode HAND-CTS tout en démontrant son potentiel pour les bassins versants dépourvus de données bathymétriques et hydrométéorologiques. The 2017 and 2019 extraordinary spring conditions prompted the Quebec government to update flood risk maps, as most of them do not adequately reflect current land use and associated hazard. Generally, hydrodynamic models such as HEC-RAS are used for flood mapping, but they require significant expertise, hydrometric data, and high-resolution bathymetric surveys. Given the need to update these maps while reducing the associated financial costs, simplified conceptual methods have been developed over the last decade. These methods are increasingly used, including HAND (height above the nearest drainage), which relies on a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) to delineate the inundation area given the water height in a river segment. Furthermore, the river geometry derived from HAND data and the application of Manning’s equation allow for the construction of a synthetic rating curve (SRC) for each homogeneous river segment. In the scientific literature, this framework has been applied to produce first-instance floodplain mapping of large rivers. For example, in the Continental United States 90% match rates were achieved when compared to the use of HEC-RAS. However, this framework has not been validated for small watersheds, as substantial methodological challenges are anticipated. This project addresses these underlying challenges in two Quebec watersheds, the à la Raquette and Delisle watersheds. The boundary conditions of the HECRAS models were derived from an empirical statistical treatment of flow time series simulated by HYDROTEL, a hydrological model, using Canadian Precipitation Analysis Product (CaPA) time series. The results of this project point towards satisfactory performances, with match rates greater than 60 % for both watersheds. It should be noted that the application on the Delisle River is naive, that is without prior calibration of the HAND-SRC method. The overall accuracy ranged from 83.4 % to 96.2 % while the water surface elevation difference was quantified by an RMSE that was for the 100-year and 350-year return periods of 4.5 m and 7.1 m respectively and where most errors are between -0.34 m and 1.1 m representing a very good model comparing to similar studies. For à la Raquette, the application showed an overall accuracy coefficient of 98 % for a 350-year flow, with an accuracy of over 99 % for other return periods. The mapping of flood risk areas using HAND-SRC still faces certain challenges, notably the presence of complex urban infrastructures (e.g., culverts, bridges, and weirs) whose hydraulic influences are not considered by this geomatic approach. Given that most of Quebec (529,000 km²) topography has been digitized using LiDAR data, the results conveyed in this MSc thesis will allow for a better understanding of the sources of uncertainty associated with the application of the HAND-SRC method while demonstrating its potential for watersheds lacking hydrometeorological and high-resolution bathymetric data.

Dérivation de courbes de tarage synthétiques à partir d'un modèle numérique d'altitude pour délimiter les surfaces inondables de petits bassins versants. - Gordon, Camila Alejandra (Maîtrise en sciences de l'eau, 2022)
Compte tenu de la nécessité de mettre à jour les cartes d'inondation et de minimiser les coûts associés (collecte de données et ressources humaines), il existe un besoin de méthodes alternatives simplifiées ne reposant pas sur la modélisation hydrodynamique classique. L'une des méthodes simplifiées répondant à ce besoin est HAND (Height Above the Nearest Drainage), une approche qui requiert uniquement un modèle numérique d'altitude (MNA) et un réseau hydrographique. Celle-ci a été mise en œuvre dans PHYSITEL, un système d’information géographique SIG spécialisé pour les modèles hydrologiques distribués. Ainsi, pour une hauteur d’eau donnée dans plusieurs tronçons de rivière, il est possible de faire une délimitation de première instance de la surface inondée le long du réseau hydrographique d’un bassin versant. Par ailleurs, l'utilisation des informations fournies par HAND et l'application de l'équation de Manning permettent également de construire une courbe de tarage synthétique pour tout tronçon de rivière en l’absence de données bathymétriques. Ce mémoire présente l’application de cette approche, qui a été validée précédemment en partie sur de grands bassins, sur deux petits bassins, ceux de la rivière à La Raquette, d’une superficie de 133 km², et de la rivière Saint Charles, d’une superficie de 552 km². Trois stations de jaugeage dans chaque bassin ont fourni les informations de base nécessaires au processus de calage de l’approche. L’efficacité et l’adaptabilité de cette approche ont été évaluées dans ce projet en fonction des données disponibles, du temps de calcul et de la précision mesurée par le biais et l’erreur quadratique moyenne. Les incertitudes et sensibilités de l’approche ont été analysées en tenant compte de la résolution spatiale et du manque de données bathymétriques. De plus, des analyses innovatrices ont été produites dans l’application de HAND. Tels qu’une analyse de sensibilité globale pour informer le processus de calage ainsi que l’application d’un critère basé sur le nombre de Froude afin de permettre de valider le respect des hypothèses sous-jacentes à l’application de l’approche sur chaque tronçon de rivière d’un bassin. En utilisant des MNA à haute résolution(<5 m/pixel), des courbes de tarage synthétiques ont été produites avec des biais inférieurs à ±20 % par rapport à des courbes de tarage in-situ. De plus, la détermination d'un critère de sélection des courbes dans un biais de ± 5% par rapport à la courbe de tarage observée a permis d'obtenir des courbes de tarage synthétiques avec des erreurs quadratiques moyennes normalisées comprises entre 0,03 et 0,62. Ainsi, cette approche a été validée pour dériver des courbes de tarage synthétiques et, par conséquent, pour soutenir la délimitation des zones à risque d'inondation dans les petits bassins versants en tenant compte des incertitudes associées à l'application d'une approche de faible complexité. Given the emergent need to update flood inundation maps and minimize associated financial costs (data collection and human resources), simplified alternative methods to the classical hydrodynamic modelling method, are being developed. One of the simplified methods built to fulfill this need is the terrain-based Height Above the Nearest Drainage (HAND) method, which solely relies on a digital elevation model (DEM) and a river network. This approach was implemented in PHYSITEL, a specialized GIS for distributed hydrological models. For a given river reach and water height, HAND can provide a first-hand delineation of the inundated areas within a watershed. In addition, coupling the information provided by HAND and the Manning equation allows for the construction of a synthetic rating curve for any homogeneous river reach where bathymetric data are not available. Since this synthetic rating curve approach has been validated in part for large watersheds, this study tested this approach onto two small watersheds: the 133- km² La Raquette River watershed and the 552-km² Saint Charles River watershed. Three gauging stations on each basin provided the basic data to perform the calibration process. The effectiveness and adaptability of the approach was assessed as a function of available data, computational time, and accuracy measured using the bias and root mean squared error (RMSE). The uncertainties were quantified in terms of spatial resolution and lack of bathymetry data. In addition, innovative analyses were made on the application of the HAND-synthetic rating curve approach. First, a global sensitivity analysis was done to inform the calibration process, and then a Froude number-based criterion was applied to validate the application of the Manning equation on any river reach of a watershed. Using high-resolution DEMs (<5 m/pixel), we obtained synthetic rating curves with bias less than 20% when compared to in-situ rating curves. Finally, a curve selection criterion was applied to identify those curves having a bias of ± 5%. The selected synthetic rating curves had normalized mean squared errors between 0.03 and 0.62. Thus, the proposed approach was deemed appropriate to derive synthetic rating curves and support the delineation of flood risk areas in small watersheds all the while considering the uncertainties associated with applying a low complexity model.

Détermination des cotes de crue en présence de glace sur la Rivière Chaudière - Ladouceur, Jean-Robert (Université Laval, 2022)
La rivière Chaudière, située au sud de la Ville de Québec, est sujette aux inondations provoquées par la formation d'embâcles. Des inondations ont été enregistrées depuis 1896 jusqu'à ce jour malgré la mise en service, en 1967, d'un ouvrage de contrôle des glaces (ICS) à 3 kilomètres en amont de la Ville de Saint-Georges-de-Beauce afin de réduire les inondations causées par la glace dans le secteur le plus à risque de la rivière Chaudière. Les inondations par embâcles demeurent donc un problème récurrent qui affecte régulièrement 8 villes le long du tronçon de 90 kilomètres en aval de l'ICS. Dans le cadre d'un programme gouvernemental d'aléas d'inondation initié par le ministère des Affaires Municipales et de l'Habitation (MAMH), un mandat pour évaluer les cotes de crues en présence de glace de la rivière Chaudière a été confié à l'Université Laval. La modélisation d'embâcles combinée à des données d'observations historiques d'embâcles est utilisée pour déterminer les niveaux d'inondation par embâcles. L'approche préconisée consiste à contrôler un modèle de simulation hydraulique fluviale, plus spécifiquement le module HEC-RAS, avec un script externe en Python pour générer une distribution Monte-Carlo (MOCA) d'évènements d'embâcles le long du secteur de la rivière à l'étude. Les paramètres mécaniques tels que l'angle de frottement, la porosité et les vitesses de contrainte de cisaillement critiques sont également attribués de manière aléatoire par le script dans une plage délimitée. Les paramètres physiques et hydrologiques attribués à chaque évènement sont choisis au hasard en fonction d'une probabilité estimée à partir des observations historiques, soit le débit calculé à l'ICS, l'emplacement de l'embâcle, la longueur de l'embâcle et les degrés-jours de gel (épaisseur de la glace). Les cotes de crues selon les périodes de retour de 2, 20, 100 et 350 ans sont alors déterminées selon une équation statistique empirique de Gringorten, suivie d'une modulation pour tenir compte des facteurs externes non considérés par MOCA. Ces cotes de crues en présence de glace sont comparées à celles en eau libre telles que déterminées par la méthode classique. Le projet démontre que les niveaux d'eau calculés en présence de glace prédominent ceux en eau libre pour les villes en amont de Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce. La combinaison des niveaux d'eau en présence de glace et en eau libre, réalisée à l'aide de l'équation de la FEMA, montre que la probabilité d'atteindre un seuil spécifique d'élévation diminue la période de retour et en conséquence augmente les probabilités reliées aux inondations. Ce mémoire est le premier travail scientifique qui présente une validation complète de l'approche hydrotechnique utilisant les valeurs in situ de débit, de DJGC et de l'emplacement et de la longueur d'embâcles pour la détermination des cotes de crue par embâcles. Les valeurs de cotes de crues calculées avec la méthode MOCA sont comparées avec les données historiques dans le secteur à l'étude de la rivière Chaudière. La présente étude met en évidence les limitations et les conditions nécessaires pour l'utilisation de cette méthode. Ce projet de recherche montre aussi pour la première fois que l'approche hydrotechnique permet de calculer des courbes fréquentielles de niveaux d'eau en présence de glace qui peuvent être utilisées à des fins réglementaires au Québec.

Stress pendant la grossesse en contexte de catastrophe naturelle : revue méta-analytique des conséquences sur le développement de l’enfant et évaluation des besoins informationnels des femmes enceintes - Lafortune, Sandra (2021)
Depuis de nombreuses années, les chercheurs dans le domaine du stress maternel prénatal (SMP) associé à des catastrophes naturelles cumulent des données probantes suggérant un effet de ce type de stresseur sur le développement de l’enfant. Plusieurs obstacles freinent cependant le transfert de ces connaissances (TC) à leurs potentielles bénéficiaires, les femmes enceintes. Un premier obstacle est qu’il n’existe pas de synthèse de connaissances quantifiant l’effet du SMP sur les différentes sphères de développement de l’enfant. De plus, les besoins informationnels des femmes enceintes à ce sujet ne sont pas connus. Ensuite, d’un point de vue éthique, il est difficile de se positionner quant à la meilleure stratégie de TC à employer pour informer les femmes enceintes sans leur imposer un stress additionnel. Cette thèse vise donc à déterminer comment informer les femmes enceintes au sujet des conséquences du stress pendant la grossesse sans les stresser davantage. Pour ce faire, une revue méta-analytique de l’effet du SMP associé à des catastrophes naturelles sur le développement de l’enfant a été réalisée pour quantifier cet effet. Par la suite, un questionnaire a été élaboré pour sonder les femmes issues de deux cohortes distinctes, une première ayant été exposée aux feux de forêt de Fort McMurray pendant la grossesse, puis une seconde localisée à Montréal et n’ayant pas été exposée à une catastrophe naturelle au cours de la grossesse. Les items du questionnaire cherchaient à déterminer leurs connaissances au sujet du SMP ainsi que leur désir d’en avoir su davantage à ce propos au cours de leur dernière grossesse. Une grille d’entretien originale a ensuite permis d’interviewer un sous-échantillon des femmes de la cohorte de Montréal pour préciser leurs besoins informationnels et les paramètres qui devraient guider un processus de TC à cet effet. Cette dernière étude a cependant été interrompue en raison de la pandémie de COVID-19 et seuls les résultats préliminaires en sont ici présentés. Plusieurs constats sont ressortis des méta-analyses et des méta-régressions. D’abord, le SMP a un effet, petit, mais durable, sur l’ensemble des sphères de développement de l’enfant. Ensuite, les difficultés objectives et la détresse psychologique sont les composantes du SMP pour lesquelles les plus grands effets ont été trouvés. Il semble également que l’exposition à une tempête de verglas affecte encore plus le développement de l’enfant que celle à une inondation. Les résultats au questionnaire des deux cohortes de femmes a permis de lever le voile sur le manque de connaissances à combler chez ces dernières concernant principalement les conséquences concrètes du SMP sur le développement de l’enfant, puis d’établir que les deux cohortes de femmes auraient majoritairement voulu en savoir davantage à ce sujet au cours de leur dernière grossesse. Enfin, les données complémentaires issues des entretiens avec les femmes de la cohorte de Montréal indiquent que les professionnels de la santé seraient les utilisateurs de connaissances à privilégier et que l’approche à employer pour faire ce TC devrait être empathique, non culpabilisante, centrée sur la femme dans sa globalité et ajustée à son style de recherche d’informations. De prochaines études dans le domaine du SMP pourront venir pallier certaines limites de cette thèse. Les équipes de recherche pourront utiliser le questionnaire et la grille d’entretien pour évaluer les besoins informationnels des femmes au sujet du SMP dans différents contextes (p.ex. pandémie de COVID-19). Maintenant qu’il a été déterminé que le SMP a un effet sur le développement de l’enfant, il serait utile de réaliser une revue de littérature pour recenser les interventions permettant d’estomper cet effet afin de bien outiller les femmes enceintes. Finalement, connaissant désormais les besoins informationnels des femmes enceintes, l’organisation d’un atelier délibératif avec les professionnels de la santé permettrait de mettre au point une stratégie de TC prenant également en compte leur réalité. En conclusion, cette thèse a permis de jeter les bases d’une stratégie de TC qui pourrait informer les femmes enceintes au sujet des conséquences du SMP associé aux catastrophes naturelles sans les stresser davantage.

Le stress prénatal maternel et les problèmes comportementaux chez les enfants : effet modérateur de la consistance de la discipline - Daniel, Benjhyna (2021)
Le stress prénatal maternel (SPM) est un concept largement étudié et ce, autant par de méthodes objectives que subjectives. Certains chercheurs évaluent les symptômes d’anxiété et de dépression des femmes au cours de leur grossesse alors que d’autres préfèrent mesurer les niveaux de cortisol des femmes enceintes. Pour cette thèse, le SPM a été mesuré par deux méthodes différentes, soit l’exposition des femmes enceintes à une catastrophe naturelle et l’exposition des mêmes femmes enceintes à des événements de vie stressants plus courants. Puisqu’il est bien établi que ce type de stress engendre des répercussions négatives sur la femme enceinte ainsi que sur le développement de l’enfant, il est désormais d’intérêt d’accentuer les recherches sur les moyens qui permettent d’atténuer les conséquences d’un tel stress. Dans les études auprès des animaux, nous savons que les conditions de maternage ainsi que l'enrichissement environnemental semblent renverser les effets du SPM, mais nous ne savons pas si, chez les humains, un bon encadrement parental, c’est-à-dire un cadre structuré avec des règles prévisibles et consistantes, peut protéger les enfants des effets du SPM. L’objectif de cette thèse est donc d’augmenter notre compréhension sur l’effet protecteur de l’encadrement parental dans le développement d’enfants qui ont été exposés à différents types de SPM. Cet objectif pourra être atteint grâce à une collaboration internationale initiée par la Dre Suzanne King suite aux inondations qui se sont produites en 2008 dans l'état d'Iowa. Suite à la catastrophe, la Dre King est entrée en contact avec le Dr O’Hara afin d'évaluer la sévérité du stress dû aux inondations chez les femmes enceintes et pour déterminer les effets de ce stress sur leur enfant. Trois types de stress ont été évalués: le degré objectif de difficulté (p. ex., pertes financières), l'évaluation cognitive de la catastrophe en tant qu'expérience négative, neutre ou positive, et la détresse subjective causée par l'inondation (p. ex., symptômes de TSPT). Suite au recrutement des mères, les enfants de l'échantillon ont été évalués à l’âge de 2, 4, 5 et 7 ans. La présente thèse est composée de trois études. La première étude porte sur l’effet modérateur de l’encadrement parental sur les associations entre le SPM causé par les inondations d’Iowa et les problèmes comportementaux chez les enfants âgés de sept ans. Les résultats indiquent qu’un encadrement parental où la discipline est consistante protège les garçons qui ont été exposés au SPM objectif contre différents symptômes de problèmes internalisés et externalisés. La deuxième étude se penche également sur la question de l’effet protecteur de l’encadrement parental sur les associations entre le SPM et les problèmes comportementaux chez les enfants âgés de sept ans. Toutefois, cette étude s’est plutôt penchée sur l’influence du SPM lorsque celui-ci est causé par des événements de vie qui sont plus communs qu’un désastre naturel. De nouveau, les résultats de cette étude nous révèlent qu’un encadrement parental consistant joue le rôle de facteur de protection, chez les garçons qui ont été exposés au SPM causé par des événements de vie stressants, mais seulement en ce qui concerne les problèmes de comportement externalisés. La troisième étude vient reconsidérer l’effet protecteur de l’encadrement parental sur les liens entre le SPM et les problèmes comportementaux des enfants qui ont été exposés à un désastre naturel. Cependant, pour cette étude, les comportements des enfants n’ont pas été évalués par un questionnaire, mais plutôt par une méthode observationnelle (tâche de frustration). Toutefois, dans cette étude, il n’est ressorti aucun effet significatif de l’encadrement parental comme variable modératrice. En somme, nos résultats rapportent que l’implantation d’un cadre structuré et consistant peut venir pallier et même renverser les conséquences du SPM sur le comportement des garçons.

Évaluation de cultures de couverture de pleine saison dans les champs agricoles inondés au lac Saint-Pierre - Chih, Colline (2021)
La perchaude est un poisson qui pond ses œufs sur les végétaux submergés dans le littoral du lac Saint-Pierre lors de la crue printanière. Cependant, les pratiques agricoles actuelles sur le littoral laissent souvent un sol nu à l'automne, ce qui cause la diminution des habitats de ponte des poissons. Ainsi, l'objectif de cette étude est d'évaluer des cultures de couverture (CC) de pleine saison qui pourraient servir de substrats potentiels pour la ponte des poissons au printemps et qui seraient compétitives envers les adventices. Un dispositif en tiroir systématique avec quatre blocs a été implanté à quatre années-sites. En parcelles principales, six traitements de CC ont été étudiés : le ray-grass vivace (Lolium perenne L.), le seigle d'automne (Secale cereale L.), un mélange de seigle d'automne et de trèfle rouge (Trifolium pratense L.), un mélange de seigle d'automne et de vesce velue (Vicia villosa Roth), un mélange d'avoine (Avena sativa L.), vesce velue et lin (Linum usitatissimum L.), et le témoin sans CC. Le facteur testé en sous-parcelle était le désherbage ou non des parcelles. Le mélange d'avoine, vesce velue et lin a produit le plus de biomasse aérienne (2,5 à 4,9 Mg ha⁻¹) tout en réduisant l'incidence des adventices de 33 à 82 % en comparaison avec le témoin non désherbé. Il est également le seul traitement pour lequel une partie de la biomasse aérienne est restée érigée après la crue à chaque année-site. Ainsi, ce type de CC pourrait constituer un substrat potentiel pour la ponte des perchaudes au printemps mais ce serait à confirmer par des mesures fauniques faites au printemps durant l'inondation. Avec un coût d'implantation peu élevé, le mélange avoine, vesce velue et lin est avantageux à la fois pour les agriculteurs et pour l'environnement.

Fluvial erosion of St-Lawrence and Ottawa River valleys clays: erosion mechanics, critical shear stress and geotechnical properties - Gonthier, Liliane (McGill University (Canada), 2021)

Deep learning methods for high-dimensional fluid dynamics problems : application to flood modeling with uncertainty quantification - Jacquier, Pierre (École de technologie supérieure, 2020)
While impressive results have been achieved in the well-known fields where Deep Learning allowed for breakthroughs such as computer vision, its impact on different older areas is still vastly unexplored. In Computational Fluid Dynamics and especially in Flood Modeling, many phenomena are very high-dimensional, and predictions require the use of numerical simulations, which can be, while very robust and tested, computationally heavy and may not prove useful in the context of real-time predictions. This issue led to various attempts at developing Reduced-Order Modeling techniques, both intrusive and non-intrusive. One recent relevant addition is a combination of Proper Orthogonal Decomposition with Deep Neural Networks (POD-NN). Yet, to our knowledge, little has been performed in implementing uncertainty-aware regression tools in the example of the POD-NN framework. In this work, we aim at comparing different novel methods addressing uncertainty quantification in Neural Networks, pushing forward the POD-NN concept with Deep Ensembles and Bayesian Neural Networks, which we first test on benchmark problems, and then apply to a real-life application: flooding predictions in the Mille-Iles river in Laval, QC, Canada. Building a non-intrusive surrogate model, able to know when it doesn’t know, is still an open research area as far as neural networks are concerned.

Développement et analyse d'une méthode de cartographie de la submersion côtière dans l'estuaire et le golfe du Saint-Laurent, Qc - Didier, David (Université du Québec à Rimouski, 2020)
RÉSUMÉ: Les événements de submersion sont en augmentation sur les côtes du fleuve Saint-Laurent en raison des tempêtes, de la hausse du niveau marin et de la diminution de la glace de mer. À ce jour, le Québec ne possède pas de zonage de la submersion. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, une approche de cartographie de la submersion est développée en intégrant les vagues, les niveaux d'eau et la morphologie des plages de l'estuaire et du golfe du Saint-Laurent (EGSL). Deux types d'approches cartographiques ont été comparés : la simulation empirique qui projette un niveau total statique sur le territoire (niveau d'eau observé + effet des vagues sur la côte, le jet de rive ou runup), et le modèle numérique XBeach en mode surfbeat. Ces deux approches nécessitent une surface topo-bathymétrique précise et actualisée de la plage. Grâce au développement d'un réseau de suivi des plages par vidéo, nous évaluons dans un premier temps l'efficacité d'une méthode de topographie intertidale par vidéo par rapport à des levés LiDAR terrestres, et améliorons sa performance en intégrant les niveaux d'eau près de la plage au module d'élévation des lignes d'eau. Ce projet a permis la création de surfaces topographiques à précision centimétrique comparable au LiDAR et d'y extraire des paramètres morphologiques, comme la pente de la plage, nécessaire aux modèles empiriques de niveaux d'eau. La capacité des deux approches de cartographie à simuler la submersion du 6 décembre 2010 au Bas-Saint-Laurent a ensuite été analysée en comparant les surfaces inondées. La correspondance spatiale entre les simulations et les observations de submersion a été évaluée. Il en ressort que malgré la complexité du modèle XBeach et une légère surprédiction du modèle empirique (36%), les surfaces submergées obtenues par les deux approches sont similaires et correctement prédites à hauteur de 66-78%. Dans le cadre d'une troisième étude, XBeach a également été utilisé dans la baie des Chaleurs pour évaluer l'impact d'un événement extrême pour l'horizon 2100 sur l'aléa de submersion. Les simulations montrent que les débordements côtiers ont été engendrés par des vagues de relativement faible amplitude à la côte (Hs < 1 m) et que malgré des profondeurs d'eau avoisinant 1,2 m, des vitesses de courants élevées se sont produites dans les espaces urbanisés (U > 2 m/s). L'analyse de la cartographie de la submersion à Maria suggère qu'en 2100, l'impact de la hausse du niveau marin sur les communautés riveraines du Saint-Laurent pourrait provoquer des submersions plus vastes avec des profondeurs d'eau et vitesses de courants plus élevées, ce qui pourraient intensifier l'aléa auquel fait face la population. Même si les simulations numériques permettent de comprendre comment les phénomènes physiques engendrent la submersion, l'intérêt de la méthode statique réside dans sa rapidité d'application, mais son efficacité est fonction de la validité et l'applicabilité des modèles empiriques de runup utilisés. Ainsi, le dernier volet de la thèse porte sur le paramétrage d'un modèle empirique de runup adapté à l'EGSL. L'observation du runup (et de ses composantes moyenne et haute fréquence, le setup et le swash) par vidéo réalisée sur 5 plages couvre un large spectre de paramètres environnementaux et de types de côte sur une période de 3 ans. Des analyses de corrélation entre les niveaux d'eau à la côte et les caractéristiques de vagues au large et la pente de plage ont été réalisées. Les résultats montrent que l'influence des paramètres hydrodynamiques sur le runup, setup, et swash est paramétrée de façon similaire. Le rôle de la morphologie de la plage sur le setup est par ailleurs paramétré par une fonction inverse de la pente, alors que le swash est fonction de la racine carrée de la pente. Avec une erreur moyenne de 23 cm et un biais de 2 cm, l'équation de runup proposée offre un fort potentiel d'estimation des niveaux d'eau totaux sur les environnements côtiers diversifiés à fetch limité. Les résultats de la thèse montrent qu'il apparaît pertinent d'utiliser une approche statique p ur identifier les zones les plus vulnérables à la submersion, en autant que l'équation utilisée soit validée sur le type d'environnement en question. En combinant cette approche à des modélisations numériques en zones à forte concentration d'enjeux, il sera possible d'instaurer un premier zonage de la submersion au Québec. -- Mot(s) clé(s) en français : Cartographie de la submersion, Runup, Topographie par vidéo, Vagues infragravitaires, XBeach. -- ABSTRACT: Coastal flood events are increasing on the shores of the St. Lawrence River due to storms, rising sea levels and decreasing sea ice. To date, the province of Québec does not have a coastal flood mapping guideline. In this thesis, a coastal flood mapping approach is developed by integrating waves, water levels and beach morphology of the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence (EGSL). Two types of cartographic approaches were compared: the empirical simulation that projects a static total level overland (observed water level + wave effect on the coast, known as wave runup), and the numerical model XBeach in surfbeat mode. These two approaches require a precise and updated topo-bathymetric surface of the beach. Through the development of a shore-based video monitoring network, we first evaluate the effectiveness of a video intertidal topography method against terrestrial LiDAR surveys, and improve its performance by integrating water levels near the beach as a proxy to beach contour elevetion. This project enabled the creation of centimeter-scale topographic surfaces comparable to LiDAR and the extraction of morphological parameters, such as the beach slope, necessary for empirical runup models. The ability of both mapping approaches to simulate the flood of December 6, 2010 in Bas-Saint-Laurent was analyzed by comparing flooded areas. Spatial correspondence between simulations and the observed flood extent was evaluated. Despite the complexity of XBeach and a slight over-prediction of the empirical model (36%), the flooded areas obtained by the two approaches are similar and correctly predicted by 66-78%. In a third study, XBeach was also used in the Chaleur Bay to assess the impact of an extreme event for the 2100 horizon on coastal flood hazards. The simulations show that the overland flow was generated by waves of relatively low amplitude at the coast (Hs <1 m) and that despite water depths close to 1.2 m, high current velocities occurred in the urbanized areas (U> 2 m/s). The analysis of the flood maps in Maria suggests that by 2100, the impact of sea level rise on coastal communities in the St. Lawrence could lead to larger flooded areas, with deeper water depths and higher flow velocity, intensifying the risk to the population. Although numerical simulations offer an understanding of the physical phenomena that cause coastal flooding, the interest of the static method lies in its convenience, but its effectiveness depends on the validity of the empirical runup models employed. Thus, the last part of the thesis deals with the parameterization of an empirical runup model in the EGSL. Video-based wave runup observations (and of its mean and high frequency components, setup and swash, respectively) on 5 beaches was carried out on a broad spectrum of environmental parameters and coast type over a period of 3 years. Correlation analyzes between coastal water levels (runup, setup, and swash) and offshore wave characteristics and beach slope were performed. The results show that the influence of the hydrodynamic parameters on wave runup, setup, and swash is similarly parameterized. The role of the morphology of the range on the setup is however parameterized by an inverse function of the slope, while the swash is a function of the square root of the slope. With an average error of 23 cm and a 2 cm bias, the original runup equation offers a high potential for estimating total water levels over diverse fetch-limited coastal environments. This thesis shows that it seems appropriate to use a static approach to identify the areas most vulnerable to coastal flooding, as long as the equation used is validated on the specific coastal environment. By combining this approach with numerical modeling in coastal hotspots with multiple issues at stake, it will be possible to introduce a first coasta flood zoning in the province of Québec. -- Mot(s) clé(s) en anglais : Coastal flooding, Runup, Video-derived topography, Infragravity waves, XBeach.

Caractériser et évaluer la capacité d'adaptation des communautés face aux risques naturels : le cas de Saint-Raymond - Hume, Jonathan (2019)
Les changements climatiques impactent de plus en plus la vie, le développement et la vulnérabilité de plusieurs communautés à travers le monde, lesquelles devant de plus en plus mitiger les risques naturels. Au Québec, la gestion des risques présente une philosophie de « retour à la normale » qui se penche davantage sur les dimensions d’intervention et de rétablissement. Cependant, à la lumière des incertitudes amenées par les changements climatiques, il est impératif que les communautés québécoises aient les capacités d’augmenter leur résilience face aux risques naturels qui s’accentuent rapidement. Ainsi, la capacité d’adaptation doit se retrouver au cœur de la gestion des risques. Cela dit, il existe peu d’outils d’évaluation de la capacité d’adaptation au Québec, entendue comme l’ensemble des ressources dynamiques disponibles et accessibles qui permettent une augmentation de la résilience et une diminution de la vulnérabilité en transformant positivement une communauté et son environnement. La présente recherche vise ainsi à développer une méthode d’analyse de la capacité d’adaptation des individus et des communautés québécoises touchées par les inondations à l’aide de systèmes d’information géographique (SIG), en utilisant la Ville de Saint-Raymond de Portneuf comme étude de cas. Ce projet se base principalement sur les concepts de vulnérabilité, de résilience et d’adaptation pour recenser des indicateurs pouvant servir à caractériser et évaluer la capacité des personnes et municipalités exposées aux inondations à mobiliser les ressources nécessaires pour non seulement atténuer les risques lors de tels événements, mais aussi mieux les prévenir et s’en préparer. Des données socioéconomiques et d’aménagement du territoire sont notamment mises à profit pour des fins d’analyse de même que des données issues d’un sondage effectué en 2014 à la suite d’une inondation majeure par la CAPSA, l’organisme de bassin versant de la région de Portneuf, en collaboration avec le comité Rivière de la Ville de Saint-Raymond.

Gestion intégrée des catastrophes en Afrique Subsaharienne : rôle de l’assurance, pour un système de gestion performant et la résilience des populations au Bénin - Goundjo, Antoine (2018)
Les variabilités et changements climatiques et les incapacités pour faire face à leurs risques, à leurs effets et, plus précisément, à gérer les catastrophes hydrométéorologiques (inondation et sécheresse) qui les accompagnent, viennent en ajouter aux vulnérabilités et aux problèmes, qui sont déjà une préoccupation en Afrique Subsaharienne et au Bénin. Face à leurs manifestations de plus en plus récurrentes – la faiblesse des systèmes de financement local de la gestion des catastrophes et le déficit des systèmes de protection sociale, qui témoignent des limites des capacités de transfert des risques de catastrophe – cette étude a identifié la structure (gouvernance-ressources), comme le problème essentiel de la gestion des catastrophes au Bénin. Une étude synthétique, étude de cas multiples avec trois niveaux d’analyse imbriqués, dans une approche qualitative, a permis de mieux comprendre comment, dans un contexte de pauvreté, l’intégration de la micro assurance climatique, modifie la structure, le processus et le résultat de la gestion des catastrophes et assure la performance du système et la résilience des populations. Elle a documenté les différents aspects de la structure et des vulnérabilités des systèmes et des populations et a identifié l’absence d’intégration de la micro assurance climatique aux systèmes de gestion des catastrophes, comme un problème au coeur de la complexité des déterminants de la résilience, aussi confrontée à une autre complexité, celle de la diversité des interconnexions entre les différentes catégories de risques, qui place la santé au coeur de tous les risques. La nécessité d’une gestion holistique du risque global, ou d’une gestion tout risque, telle que retenue par le Cadre d’Action de Hyōgo et le Cadre d’Action de Sendai; et l’importance d’apporter une réponse en accord au contexte et à son profil de risques, qui prend l’option pour la "démocratisation" d’une micro assurance climatique, gouvernée sur la base de fondements idéologiques d’équité et d’efficience, cette recherche a préconisé – pour une gestion plus rationnelle, pertinente, efficace et efficiente des catastrophes – une intégration de trois systèmes : le système de la gestion des catastrophes; le système de protection sociale, y compris celui de la micro assurance climatique, et le système de la santé; tous reconnus outillés pour la gestion des risques. Elle a retenu, qu’une telle approche saurait aussi assurer une gestion efficace du changement qu’induirait l’intégration de la micro assurance climatique à la gestion des catastrophes; de ii même qu’une meilleure utilisation des outils et méthodes de sensibilisation, de prévention, de prévision et d’évaluation des risques et des dommages dont recèlent les pratiques en micro assurance climatique. Elle constate que la réussite de l’intégration de la MAC et son développement sont essentiellement plus déterminés par les acteurs et leurs intérêts, que par les ressources financières, même si elles sont aussi indispensables. Cette recherche préconise qu’à partir de choix de modèles et de modes d’intégration bien étudiés, son intégration ou sa prise en compte dans les différents programmes d’aide et de protection sociale mis en oeuvre au Bénin pourrait être, à travers les subventions de l’État, un moyen de mobilisation de fonds en faveur de son financement et de sa viabilité/durabilité. Ce financement pourra aussi s’appuyer sur les mécanismes traditionnels de financement de l’assurance, de la micro assurance, des changements climatiques et de la réduction des risques de catastrophe au Bénin, en Afrique et dans le monde. C’est pourquoi, en termes de gouvernance, ce travail soutien une restructuration avec une gestion entièrement centrée sur les communes, dans une approche des services de première ligne avec les réseaux de services ; en termes de ressources, il a aussi analysé les conditions et les possibilités de développement d’une micro assurance climatique, qui dépend avant tout de la qualité de la gestion des catastrophes (capacités à réduire les risques et limiter les pertes ou capacités à induire la résilience des systèmes et des populations). Cette approche puise dans les réalités et pratiques endogènes de gestion des catastrophes et surtout de protection sociale ou de transfert de risques ; elle s’inspire des bonnes pratiques d’ailleurs ; elle contribue à instaurer l’équité, comme principe de la gestion intégrée des catastrophes et, au-delà de la résilience, à susciter une convergence des efforts pour l’autonomisation de la structure et des populations, face aux manifestations catastrophiques des inondations et de la sécheresse. Cette recherche pense qu’il faut oser la micro assurance universelle pour la gestion des catastrophes hydrométéorologiques; qu’elle est réalisable ou faisable, même en contexte de pauvreté; et qu’il est aussi possible de combiner micro assurance climatique universelle et assurance médicale universelle, dans une dynamique qui mobilise des approches efficientes et les intérêts.

Vulnérabilité aux inondations et adaptation villageoise à Hanoi, Vietnam : opportunités et contraintes dans un contexte de périurbanisation rapide - Labelle-Giroux, Francis (2018)
Au Vietnam, l’adaptation aux inondations en milieu rural est indissociable des gestes informels posés par les ménages à l’échelle micro. Dans le contexte de transition urbaine rapide qui caractérise actuellement le pays, ces ménages et les communautés auxquelles ils appartiennent subissent des pressions socio-économiques et environnementales majeures en lien avec l’urbanisation de leur milieu de vie. À travers l’étude de cas d’une communauté villageoise périurbaine de Hanoi, ce mémoire cherche à comprendre comment ces perturbations affectent la vulnérabilité aux inondations des populations préexistantes ainsi que leurs capacités à s’y adapter. L’analyse est centrée sur la micro-échelle, une approche jusqu’ici principalement utilisée dans les études en milieu rural au Vietnam. Appliquée au contexte périurbain de Hanoi, à l’aide d’enquêtes par questionnaire et d’entretiens semi-dirigés, cette approche précise et nuance les conséquences que peut avoir l’urbanisation sur la vulnérabilité et l’adaptation aux inondations. Elle révèle les façons dont les ménages perçoivent leur vulnérabilité et leur capacité à la réduire dans le contexte transitoire actuel. L’analyse démontre que la périurbanisation de Hanoi affecte les moyens de subsistance de manière contrastée au sein des communautés villageoises en cours d’urbanisation. Ces impacts différenciés d’un ménage à l’autre influencent leur capacité d’adaptation et la trajectoire d’adaptation qu’ils empruntent face aux inondations. Certains profitent des nouvelles opportunités économiques liées à l’urbanisation de leur milieu de vie pour réduire leur vulnérabilité et ainsi contrebalancer les effets pervers qu’entraîne ce même processus sur la gravité des inondations. D’autres sont plutôt contraints de vivre dans un état de vulnérabilité exacerbé par leur manque de moyens et la précarité de leurs moyens de subsistance. Finalement, les résultats suggèrent que les opportunités d’adaptation observées dans le présent n’assurent pas automatiquement une préparation adéquate dans un avenir où tant les changements climatiques que l’urbanisation risquent d’être plus soutenus.

Étude des facteurs contrôlant la présence de l’algue Didymosphenia geminata et des impacts de sa présence sur le saumon atlantique juvénile. - Gillis, Carole-Anne (Université du Québec, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, 2018)
L’algue Didymosphenia geminata est une diatomée à potentiel envahissant. Cette algue microscopique, attachée au substrat, peut sécréter des quantités phénoménales de mucilage et créer de vaste amas fibreux tapissant le lit d’une rivière. Autrefois considérée très rare et représentative d’une qualité d’eau impeccable, elle est maintenant répertoriée omniprésente dans les rivières oligotrophes à travers le monde. Au cours des deux dernières décennies, son émergence a créé un intérêt marqué de la part des écologistes et gestionnaires de rivières puisque sa biologie et les facteurs régissant son occurrence et sa sévérité sont méconnus. Au Québec, c’est à l’été 2006 que les premières proliférations massives de l’algue didymo ont été observées dans la rivière Matapédia. Le manque de connaissances à son égard, plus précisément sur sa distribution, les causes de l’apparition des proliférations et de l’impact négatif possible de cet envahissement sur le réseau trophique mais surtout sur le cycle de vie du saumon atlantique en rivière a créé un état de panique chez les gestionnaires et les utilisateurs des rivières à saumon. Il existait dès lors un urgent besoin de combler ces lacunes. Afin de mieux comprendre les facteurs régissant tant la croissance cellulaire que la croissance des amas mucilagineux, un modèle conceptuel a été élaboré grâce à la collaboration de plusieurs chercheurs travaillant au Colorado, à l’île de Vancouver, en Nouvelle-Zélande et au Québec afin de colliger les observations et les données de terrain. Ce travail de synthèse a permis d’identifier les facteurs favorisant sa colonisation, sa croissance et sa persistance en rivière. La dynamique spatio-temporelle de l’algue didymo est dépendante de divers facteurs (ou conditions environnementales) dont les seuils critiques déterminent son comportement de prolifération. En rivière, la croissance d’algues benthiques est principalement déterminée par les variations saisonnières du débit, la température, la lumière et la chimie de l’eau. Ainsi, la connaissance des paramètres d’habitats favorables permet de déterminer si un bassin versant est favorable à la présence cellulaire de l’algue didymo et à la probabilité que celle-ci puisse y proliférer. Le modèle conceptuel permet d’établir la variabilité et la sévérité saisonnière du comportement envahissant de l’algue didymo en rivière. Afin d’appliquer le modèle conceptuel développé à l’échelle du bassin versant, nous avons mis sur pied un réseau de suivi volontaire des proliférations d’algue didymo dans le bassin versant de la rivière Restigouche. Vingt-deux organisations différentes totalisant 70 bénévoles ont été formés à identifier et quantifier les proliférations d’algue didymo. Entre 2010 et 2015, 1 228 observations ont été réalisées. L’analyse de cette base de données, nous a permis de déterminer que 71% de la variabilité de la sévérité des proliférations durant l’été est inversement proportionnelle à l’intensité de la crue printanière. À l’échelle du tronçon, l’analyse des proliférations pour différents types de faciès-substrat a permis de d’identifier une préférence accrue pour les seuils. Par la suite, afin d’appliquer le modèle conceptuel à l’échelle régionale, nous avons comparé la distribution de l’algue didymo dans trois régions de l’est du Québec (i.e. Gaspésie, Bas-St-Laurent et Côte-Nord) avec divers paramètres physico-chimiques de vingt-neuf rivières à saumon. Le principal facteur régissant la présence-absence de cellules est le pH. Les diatomées ont des optimums de pH très spécifiques et la géologie contrastante de la Côte-Nord (Bouclier canadien) par rapport aux basses terres du Saint-Laurent et les Appalaches en Gaspésie, a permis d’identifier que les eaux acides riches en tanins et lignines ne sont pas favorables à la survie et la croissance de l’algue didymo. Grâce à une meilleure connaissance des facteurs de contrôle de l’algue didymo à diverses échelles spatiales, nous pouvons déterminer les rivières à risque de proliférations massives. Au sein des rivières exhibant des proliférations, nous avons déterminé que les préférences d’habitat de l’algue didymo sont identiques à celles du saumon atlantique juvénile (i.e. eaux rapides, peu profondes, claires, froides, faible en nutriments avec un substrat grossier). Afin de déterminer l’ampleur de l’impact de la présence des proliférations sur le réseau trophique, nous avons vérifié son impact sur la communauté algale. La structure dense et fibreuse crée un environnement physique dans lequel plusieurs diatomées peuvent s’y loger. Nos résultats confirment que l’algue crée un habitat de choix pour les plus petites diatomées favorisant ainsi une plus grande diversité taxonomique. Malgré une augmentation de la complexité du biofilm suivant son épaississement, il n’y a pas d’impact supplémentaire sur la structure et la diversité taxonomique des échantillons. Puisque la structure de l’habitat est modifiée par les tapis et que ces derniers sont susceptibles d’altérer la structure et le fonctionnement de l’écosystème, nous avons évalué l’effet des proliférations sur le comportement alimentaire des saumons juvéniles. Grâce à l’observation en apnée du comportement, nous pouvons conclure que les saumons juvéniles effectuent une plus grande proportion de quêtes benthiques en fonction du pourcentage de recouvrement algal. Ce changement de comportement n’est pas attribuable à une diminution des proies disponibles au sein de la dérive. Notre étude confirme la grande plasticité comportementale des saumons juvéniles face aux modifications de l’habitat. Afin de vérifier l’impact des proliférations sur les ressources alimentaires et la diète des saumons juvéniles, nous avons utilisé l’approche par analyse d’isotopes stables. Cette approche permet d’établir un portrait intégré de l’utilisation des ressources par les poissons. Les signatures isotopiques divergentes entre les différents tissus des saumons confirment une modification de la diète saisonnière. Les saumons juvéniles en présence de l’algue didymo ont une diète moins diversifiée et appauvrie en carbone principalement composée de petits chironomides et de trichoptères. Malgré que l’indice de condition physique des saumons juvéniles soit similaire entre les deux sites, leur taille est plus petite dans le site avec proliférations. Les travaux futurs devront tenter de valider l’impact de la diminution de la qualité de la diète par les proliférations d’algue didymo sur le contenu en lipides des juvéniles. Suite aux diverses collaborations internationales et discussions avec les gestionnaires, nous nous sommes rendus à l’évidence qu’il devait y avoir une recommandation sur les mesures de gestion vis-à-vis cette espèce. En fonction des connaissances scientifiques développées au fil des ans et plusieurs cas de gestion dans divers pays, nous avons recommandé aux gestionnaires d’éduquer les utilisateurs à vérifier, nettoyer, sécher et congeler leurs équipements. Que l’algue didymo soit une espèce exotique ou indigène, elle peut être propagée. De plus, la mise en valeur des saines pratiques permettent de limiter la propagation d’autres organismes pouvant potentiellement être plus dévastateurs que l’algue didymo. Les résultats de cette thèse contribuent à l’avancement des connaissances sur les facteurs de contrôle de l’algue didymo tant à l’échelle microscopique que macroscopique. En plus d’avoir contribué à élaborer le modèle conceptuel, nous l’avons amélioré en l’appliquant à diverses échelles spatiales : à l’échelle du tronçon et du bassin versant ainsi qu’à l’échelle régionale. C’est d’ailleurs la première étude à élaborer un réseau de suivi des proliférations par l’implication des acteurs du milieu ainsi qu’une des seules études à avoir examiné la variabilité interannuelle sur une période de six ans. C’est également la première étude à avoir évalué l’impact de l’algue didymo sur les communautés périphytiques dans l’est du Canada. De surcroît, c’est la première étude exhaustive qui a évalué l’effet des proliférations sur l’écologie du saumon atlantique juvénile. Les recherches menées sur le comportement alimentaire est également novateur et contribue considérablement à la compréhension des mécanismes et les interactions entre les divers niveaux trophiques et l’impact sur les salmonidés. Didymosphenia geminata is mat-forming nuisance diatom. This epilithic microscopic alga can secrete copious amounts of mucilage creating thick and extensive mats covering the entire riverbed. Once considered very rare and representative of pristine water quality, it is now ubiquitous in rivers around the world. Over the past two decades, this alga has emerged as a nuisance diatom and generated much interest among freshwater ecologists and river managers alike. Nonetheless, controlling factors governing the occurrence and severity of D. geminata are still not well understood. In Quebec, the first massive proliferations of D. geminata were reported in 2006 in the Matapedia River. There was an urgency to fill this knowledge gap as managers and government agencies panicked at the lack of knowledge regarding its distribution, the causes of its onset and mostly, fear of that this alga would act as an additional stressor to Atlantic salmon populations. To better understand controlling factors of both cell division and mat formation, a conceptual model was developed with the collaboration of several researchers working in Colorado, Vancouver Island, New Zealand and Quebec to collate observations and field data. This synthesis work helped identify the factors favoring its colonization, growth and persistence in rivers. The spatiotemporal dynamics of D. geminata are dependent on various dynamic thresholds of flow, temperature, light and water chemistry within the habitat window. We can therefore test various arrays of these parameters to determine whether rivers are likely to present occasional to persistent D. geminata mats. To test and improve upon the conceptual model at various spatial scales, we developed a monitoring network for D. geminata mat presence. Twenty-two different organizations totaling 70 volunteers were trained to identify and quantify the proliferations of D. geminata. Between 2010 and 2015, 1 228 observations were made. The analysis of this database helped determine that 71% of the variability of D. geminata severity is inversely proportional to the intensity of the spring flood. At the reach scale, habitat type was determinant for presence-absence of mats with a strong significant preference for riffles. At the provincial scale, we compared the distribution of D. geminata in three regions of eastern Quebec (i.e. Gaspesie, Bas-St-Laurent and Cote-Nord) against numerous water chemistry parameters for twentynine rivers. At the broad regional scale, pH was the most important factor governing the presence-absence of cells. Diatoms have very specific pH optima and the contrasting geologies between regions confirmed that low pH and high tannins and lignin are not favorable to the survival and growth of D. geminata. Habitat preferences for D. geminata mats are identical to those of juvenile Atlantic salmon (i.e. shallow, fast, clear, cool, low nutrient and coarse substrate). To determine the extent of the impact of the presence of mats on the food web, we verified its impact on the algal community. The dense interwoven matrix creates a suitable physical environment for small diatoms, thus promoting greater taxonomic diversity. Despite an increase in the complexity of the biofilm with mat accrual, there is no additional impact on the structure and taxonomic diversity of the samples. D. geminata effects to higher trophic levels have been suspected since the structure of the habitat is modified and could alter the structure and functioning of the ecosystem. We studied the foraging behaviour of juvenile Atlantic salmon in contrasting D. geminata severities. With increasing percent cover of the alga, juvenile Atlantic salmon switch from a drift-foray to benthic-foray strategy. This change in behavior is not due to limited drifting prey availability. Our results reinforce the notion that juvenile Atlantic salmon have high behavioral plasticity in response to habitat changes. To test the impact of mats on juvenile salmon diet, we used a stable isotope analysis approach. This approach provides an integrated view of resource use by fish. Contrasting isotopic signatures between the liver and muscle tissues confirm a change in the seasonal diet. Juvenile salmon sampled in the D. geminata impacted site have a less diversified and carbon-depleted diet composed mainly of small chironomids and Trichoptera. Juvenile salmon condition factors and C:N ratios were not different between sites, though their size is smaller in the impacted site. Future work should focus on the effects of reduced prey quality on lipid content of fish. Over various international collaborations and discussions with managers, it became clear that there was a need for a clear and standardized recommendation on management measures for this nuisance species. Based on recent scientific knowledge and several management cases in various countries, we recommended that managers educate users to check, clean, dry and freeze their equipment. Regardless of whether D. geminata is an exotic or native species, it can be spread. In addition, the development of best practices limits the spread of aquatic organisms as others may be far more devastating than D. geminata. The results of this thesis contribute to the advancement of knowledge on the controlling factors of D. geminata for both cells and mats. In addition to contributing to the development of the conceptual model, we have tested and improved it by applying it to a variety of spatial scales: at the reach, watershed and regional scales. This is the first study to develop a monitoring network for mat severity with the involvement of local stakeholders. It is also the first study to evaluate the impact of D. geminata on periphytic communities in eastern Canada. Moreover, it is the first comprehensive study that has evaluated the effect D. geminata mats on juvenile Atlantic salmon ecology. Research on foraging behavior is also innovative and contributes significantly to the understanding of the mechanisms and interactions by which D. geminata impacts various trophic levels and salmonids.

Suivi en temps réel de l’aléa inondation par cameras de surveillance : estimation du niveau de l’eau. - Latapie, Romain (Université du Québec, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, 2018)
Les inondations constituent l’un des risques naturels les plus fréquents. Une inondation historique survenue au Québec s’est produite aux abords de la rivière Richelieu entre avril et juin 2011. Suite aux dommages et aux frais occasionnés par cet épisode, l’INRS s’est engagé avec la ville de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu afin de la doter d’un système de Gestion et d’Analyse du Risque d’Inondation (GARI) : le niveau d’eau constitue une donnée essentielle pour l’évaluation de l’ampleur d’une inondation en temps réel. Ce travail de recherche a pour objectif de détecter automatiquement la ligne d’eau sur des images acquises par des caméras placées aux abords de la rivière Richelieu par des méthodes d’analyse d’images et de convertir cette dernière en niveau d’eau par stéréoscopie (transfert des valeurs en pixels en unité métrique). Le premier volet de ce travail de recherche s’intéresse à l’extraction automatique de la ligne d’eau à partir de données acquises par des caméras de surveillance. Afin de répondre à cette exigence, des séquences d’images de durée déterminée (une minute) ont été enregistrées et une image moyenne a été calculée pour chaque séquence. L’image moyenne est ensuite segmentée puis classifiée à l’aide d’une technique supervisée. Pour la première séquence d’images à traiter, des sites d’entraînement décrivant les parties immergées et libres sont créées afin d’obtenir deux classes de sortie correspondant aux surfaces d’eau et au reste de l’image. Une détection de contour permet d’isoler les pixels de la ligne d’eau. Pour les séquences suivantes, l’algorithme utilise automatiquement la ligne d’eau créée à la séquence précédente pour définir les sites d’entraînements à la séquence considérée. Le taux de réussite d’extraction de la ligne d’eau avoisine 90%. Le second volet consiste à convertir les coordonnées des pixels de la ligne d’eau du système bidimensionnel image vers un système tridimensionnel dans un référentiel connu. Les observations par stéréoscopie permettent cette transformation via les procédures d’orientation intérieure des caméras et d’orientation extérieure des couples stéréoscopiques. Pour le modèle de caméra considéré, les tests effectués montrent que les erreurs de positionnement planimétrique de la ligne d’eau sont inférieures au mètre et l’erreur de positionnement altimétrique (niveau d’eau) est inférieure à 10 cm lorsque le rapport entre la base stéréoscopique et la distance avec l’objet à modéliser est supérieur à 0.1. Flooding is one of the most common natural hazards. A historic flood occurred in the vicinity of the Richelieu River (Province of Quebec, Canada) between April and June 2011. After the damages and expenses incurred by this episode, INRS and the city of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu decided to create a flood risk management and analysis system : water level is an essential factor for assessing magnitude of a flood in real time. This research project aims to automatically detect the water line on images acquired by cameras located near the Richelieu River with image analysis methods and to convert it to water level by stereoscopy (transfer of values from pixel unit to metric unit). The first part of this research work focuses on automatic extraction of water line from data acquired by surveillance cameras. In order to meet this requirement, fixed-duration (one minute) image sequences were recorded and an average image was calculated for each sequence. Average image is then segmented and classified using a supervised technique. For the first sequence of images to be processed, training sites describing submerged and free portions are created to obtain two output classes corresponding to water and the rest of the image. Then, a contour detection is used to determine water line. For the following sequences, the algorithm automatically uses water line created in the previous sequence to define training sites for the present sequence. Success rate of water line extraction is around 90%. Second part consists in converting pixels coordinates of water line known in a two-dimensional image system to a three-dimensional system in a known reference frame. Stereoscopic observations allow this transformation via interior and exterior orientations procedures. For the camera model considered in this project, tests highlight that planimetric positioning errors of the water line are lower than 1 m and altimetric positioning error (water level) is lower than 10 cm when the ratio between stereoscopic basis and distance to the object to be modeled is higher than 0.1.

Impact des changements climatiques sur la réponse des petits cours d'eau du nord de la Gaspésie, Québec - Boulet, Yan (Université du Québec à Rimouski, 2024)
RÉSUMÉ : Bien que représentant la majorité des réseaux hydrographiques à l’échelle mondiale, les petits cours d’eau de tête sont souvent mis de côté dans les analyses abordant les impacts qu’auront les changements climatiques sur leur régime hydrologique. Pourtant, ils sont d’une importance capitale pour la qualité des eaux de surface et des habitats en plus de représenter la source principale de sédiments contribuant au dynamisme des rivières qu’ils alimentent. Ce mémoire vise à utiliser des données météorologiques actuelles et de projections climatiques pour mieux comprendre la réponse hydrologique des petits bassins versants nord gaspésiens lors d’événements hydrologiques d’importance (torrentialité, crue printanière). En développant un seuil intensité – durée de déclenchement d’aléas hydrogéomorphologiques adapté au nord de la Gaspésie et en calculant des tendances climatiques, il a été observé que les événements surpassant le seuil seraient de 2 à 3 fois plus fréquents en 2100 qu’en 2011 selon les scénarios RCP4.5 et RCP8.5. Les résultats de ces analyses ont initié une réflexion sur les impacts morphologiques potentiels à prendre en compte dans une optique de gestion et d’utilisation du territoire dans une région où les cours d’eau sont particulièrement dynamiques et sensibles au déclenchement d’aléas hydrogéomorphologiques. La hausse de la fréquence des événements surpassant le seuil, le comportement hydrologique du cours d’eau instrumenté lors d’événements de crue connus et documentés et le modèle conceptuel proposé mettent en relation les changements climatiques projetés, les impacts sur la réponse hydrologique et les ajustements morphologiques qui pourraient survenir à l’intérieur des petits cours d’eau, sur leurs cônes alluviaux et dans les rivières principales dans lesquelles ils se jettent. -- Mot(s) clé(s) en français : changements climatiques, hydrogéomorphologie, petits cours d’eau, pluies torrentielles, Gaspésie, aléas. -- ABSTRACT : Even though they represent over 70% of stream length in drainage networks at the global scale, small headwater streams are often sidelined when evaluating climate change impacts on the hydrological regime of rivers. Yet, they are of capital importance in maintaining surface water and habitat quality for ecological and resource management purposes. Furthermore, they represent the main source of sediments for downstream fluvial systems, being the main contributor to their dynamics. This thesis aims to use historical meteorological data and climate projections to better understand the hydrological response of small gaspesian headwater streams to important flood events. By developing a triggering intensity – duration rainfall threshold for hydrogeomorphological hazards adapted to the region and extracting trends from precipitation projections, it has been observed that the annual number of events surpassing the threshold would at least double in 2100 in comparison to 2011. Those results initiated a reflection on potential morphological adjustments to consider for land use and management in a region where rivers are particularly mobile and sensitive to the triggering of hydrogeomorphological hazards. The increase in the frequency of triggering rainfall, the hydrological behavior of the instrumented stream during known and documented flood events and the proposed conceptual model help explain potential climate change effects on the hydrological response and morphological adjustments that could happen inside headwater streams, on their alluvial fan and in the main rivers they feed. -- Mot(s) clé(s) en anglais : climate change, hydrogeomorphology, headwater streams, torrential rainfall, Gaspesie, natural hazards.

Élaboration d'une méthode de détection et de caractérisation des occlusions présentes dans les nuages de points massifs de zones résidentielles - Albert, William (2024)
La fréquence et l'ampleur des dommages causés par les inondations au Canada augmentent chaque année, nécessitant des solutions préventives. Les étages inférieurs des bâtiments sont particulièrement vulnérables, justifiant la nécessité de détecter avec précision les ouvertures comme les portes et les fenêtres. Les nuages de points obtenus par télémétrie mobile sont bien adaptés pour identifier la présence de ces ouvertures sur les façades de bâtiments. Toutefois, la présence d'occlusions dans les nuages de points causées par des objets obstruant le faisceau LiDAR rend cette tâche complexe. Le présent projet de maîtrise vise à répondre à cette problématique en proposant une approche pour détecter et caractériser les occlusions dans les scènes acquises dans les milieux résidentiels et ruraux. La conception de la méthode est articulée autour de deux volets : la segmentation sémantique pour étiqueter le nuage de points et la détection d'occlusions par lancer de rayons. La méthode a été validée à partir de données simulées car elles permettent un contrôle total sur l'environnement et facilitent la visualisation des résultats. Cette analyse a ensuite été transposée sur les résultats obtenus à partir du nuage de points réel. Les résultats obtenus par la méthode proposée ont démontré une capacité à détecter la présence d'occlusions dans les milieux résidentiels et ruraux. La combinaison de la segmentation sémantique pour l'étiquetage du nuage de points avec la détection d'occlusions par lancers de rayons a permis une identification robuste des occlusions. Ces résultats soulignent l'efficacité de la solution dans des contextes réalistes, renforçant ainsi sa pertinence pour la détection précise des ouvertures sur les façades, une étape cruciale pour évaluer les risques liés aux inondations. La transposition réussie de l'analyse des données simulées aux résultats du nuage de points réel valide la robustesse de l'approche et son applicabilité dans des scénarios du monde réel.

Improving ensemble streamflow forecasts through targeted post-processing and rating curve uncertainty analysis - Askarinejad, Alireza (Université de Sherbrooke, 2024)
Abstract : Flood forecasting plays a pivotal role in effective water resource management and flood risk mitigation. Despite recent advancements, existing ensemble forecasting systems often grapple with issues of unreliability and under-dispersion. The uncertainty in ensemble forecasts can emanate from various sources, including inputs like precipitation, temperature, and streamflow, as well as initial conditions, model structure and parameters, and boundary conditions. Over the past two decades, numerous endeavors have been made to address bias and under-dispersion through the introduction of various statistical post-processing methods in meteorological and hydrological forecasts. However, a significant challenge lies in selecting the appropriate method and strategy in the forecast chain. Limited research has addressed the integration of pre-processing and post-processing in streamflow ensemble forecasting. Moreover, existing studies have generally focused on lumped hydrological models, while the performance of this integration in distributed hydrological models remains scarcely examined. On the other hand, streamflow data, often indirectly measured through rating curves, are particularly susceptible to errors. While various methods have been proposed to estimate rating curve uncertainty (RCU), the impact of RCU on streamflow forecasting system performance remains underexplored. In addition, current post-processing methods utilized in streamflow forecasting systems have disregarded the inherent uncertainty in observational streamflow data. Thus, this thesis delves into the potential and hurdles associated with considering different sources of uncertainty in flood forecasting systems and their impact on system performance. The primary objectives entail 1) assessing and identifying optimal scenarios from pre-processing of both temperature and precipitation and post-processing of streamflow forecasts approaches, or a combination thereof, and 2) evaluating the consideration of rating curve uncertainty on flood forecasting system performance through incorporating into targeted post-processing methodologies. The thesis focuses on a short-range ensemble streamflow forecasting framework spanning lead times of 1 to 5 days for the au Saumon watershed in southern Quebec, Canada. This watershed, being flood-prone, encountered significant challenges during the 2019 and 2017 flood events, including widespread inundation, road closures, and damage to property and infrastructure. Enhancing streamflow ensemble forecasts and upgrading flood forecasting systems holds the potential to greatly benefit decision-makers and the local populace. Chapter 4 (Results part 1), presented as a scientific article, thus delves into assessing and employing various pre- and post-processing strategy scenarios within the flood forecasting framework employing a spatially distributed hydrological model. By applying different statistical processing and bias correction techniques, the performance and quality of ensemble streamflow forecasts were evaluated across different scenarios. The findings highlight biases and under-dispersion as significant factors affecting raw ensemble forecasts. Pre-processing partially improves raw forecasts but doesn't fully address bias in under-dispersed forecasts. Combining pre- and post-processing enhances forecast skill and reliability, albeit with some variations compared to post-processing alone. Integrating flood events into the training dataset and optimizing its length improves the effectiveness of processing methods, underscoring the critical role of data management strategies in enhancing streamflow forecasting systems. Subsequently, Chapter 5 (Results part 2) , evaluates the consideration of rating curve uncertainty, derived from the Voting Point Method (VPM) and Bayesian Rating curve (BaRatin) estimation methods, on the performance of streamflow ensemble forecasts by integrating into a targeted post-processing approach using Weighted Ensemble Dressing (WED) and Cumulative Distribution Function Matching (CDFM) post-processing methods. Post-processing without RCU enhances forecasting system skill and reliability but overlooks the inherent uncertainty in observational data, posing concerns about its effectiveness. Conversely, integrating RCU improves forecast skill, reliability, and effectively addresses observational data uncertainty, offering a notable advantage over traditional post-processing methods. Comparing WED and CDFM post-processing methods highlighted nuanced differences in forecast outcomes, influenced by uncertainty estimation techniques. Both methods showed favorable accuracy metrics, with RCU integration, especially from VPM, notably enhancing forecast quality. However, variations in RCU from different estimation methods may lead to forecast underestimation or overestimation, warranting careful consideration. These findings collectively shed light on the potential and challenges associated with incorporating different sources of uncertainty into flood forecasting systems.

Investigating the modelling uncertainties associated with the generation of flood projections - Castaneda-Gonzalez, Mariana (École de technologie supérieure, 2022)
Extreme flood events continue to be one of the most threatening natural disasters around the world due to their pronounced social, environmental and economic impacts. Changes in the magnitude and frequency of floods have been documented during the last years, and it is expected that a changing climate will continue to affect their occurrence. Therefore, understanding the impacts of climate change through hydroclimatic simulations has become essential to prepare adaptation strategies for the future. However, the confidence in flood projections is still low due to the considerable uncertainties associated with their simulations, and the complexity of local features influencing these events. The main objective of this doctoral thesis is thus to improve our understanding of the modelling uncertainties associated with the generation of flood projections as well as evaluating strategies to reduce these uncertainties to increase our confidence in flood simulations. To address the main objective, this project aimed at (1) quantifying the uncertainty contributions of different elements involved in the modelling chain used to produce flood projections and, (2) evaluating the effects of different strategies to reduce the uncertainties associated with climate and hydrological models in regions with diverse hydroclimatic conditions. A total of 96 basins located in Quebec (basins dominated by snow-related processes) and Mexico (basins dominated by rain-related processes), covering a wide range of climatic and hydrological regimes were included in the study. The first stage consisted in decomposing the uncertainty contributions of four main uncertainty sources involved in the generation of flood projections: (1) climate models, (2) post-processing methods, (3) hydrological models, and (4) probability distributions used in flood frequency analyses. A variance decomposition method allowed quantifying and ranking the influence of each uncertainty source on floods over the two regions studied and by seasons. The results showed that the uncertainty contributions of each source vary over the different regions and seasons. Regions and seasons dominated by rain showed climate models as the main uncertainty source, while those dominated by snowmelt showed hydrological models as the main uncertainty contributor. These findings not only show the dangers of relying on single climate and hydrological models, but also underline the importance of regional uncertainty analyses. The second stage of this research project focused in evaluating strategies to reduce the uncertainties arising from hydrological models on flood projections. This stage includes two steps: (1) the analysis of the reliability of hydrological model’s calibration under a changing climate and (2) the evaluation of the effects of weighting hydrological simulations on flood projections. To address the first part, different calibration strategies were tested and evaluated using five conceptual lumped hydrological models under contrasting climate conditions with datasets lengths varying from 2 up to 21 years. The results revealed that the climatic conditions of the calibration data have larger impacts on hydrological model’s performance than the lengths of the climate time series. Moreover, changes on precipitation generally showed greater impacts than changes in temperature across all the different basins. These results suggest that shorter calibration and validation periods that are more representative of possible changes in climatic conditions could be more appropriate for climate change impact studies. Following these findings, the effects of different weighting strategies based on the robustness of hydrological models (in contrasting climatic conditions) were assessed on flood projections of the different studied basins. Weighting the five hydrological models based on their robustness showed some improvements over the traditional equal-weighting approach, particularly over warmer and drier conditions. Moreover, the results showed that the difference between these approaches was more pronounced over flood projections, as contrasting flood magnitudes and climate change signals were observed between both approaches. Additional analyses performed over four selected basins using a semi-distributed and more physically-based hydrological model suggested that this type of models might have an added value when simulating low-flows, and high flows on small basins (of about 500 km2). These results highlight once again the importance of working with ensembles of hydrological models and presents the potential impacts of weighting hydrological models on climate change impact studies. The final stage of this study focused on evaluating the impacts of weighting climate simulations on flood projections. The different weighting strategies tested showed that weighting climate simulations can improve the mean hydrograph representation compared to the traditional model “democracy” approach. This improvement was mainly observed with a weighting approach proposed in this thesis that evaluates the skill of the seasonal simulated streamflow against observations. The results also revealed that weighting climate simulations based on their performance can: (1) impact the floods magnitudes, (2) impact the climate change signals, and (3) reduce the uncertainty spreads of the resulting flood projection. These effects were particularly clear over rain-dominated basins, where climate modelling uncertainty plays a main role. These finding emphasize the need to reconsider the traditional climate model democracy approach, especially when studying processes with higher levels of climatic uncertainty. Finally, the implications of the obtained results were discussed. This section puts the main findings into perspective and identifies different ways forward to keep improving the understanding of climate change impacts in hydrology and increasing our confidence on flood projections that are essential to guide adaptation strategies for the future.

An urban political ecology of flood control and population relocation in Ouagadougou - Burkina Faso - Bamba, Madiara (Concordia University, 2022)
Globally, the number of people at risk from flooding has been increasing since 2000, with the population from the South being more vulnerable. Millions of households are displaced by disasters every year. In 2009, the city of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso experienced its most disastrous flood ever recorded. As a response, the government designed a permanent relocation plan in Yagma, a village located outside the city of Ouagadougou. The relocation plan disrupted the livelihoods of the households that were affected by the flood, leading many of them to return and rebuild their houses in flood prone areas. This paper contributes to a body of literature analyzing the heritage of postcolonialism on the flood vulnerability on the poorer communities in Ouagadougou. Using a political ecology frame, the thesis attempts to understand how the government of Burkina Faso and flood victims understand land and belongings, and how that understanding shaped the relocation program. After interviewing flood victims and government officials, an analysis revealed that contrasting views are at work. A perspective based on technical calculations and a neo-colonialist vision of development, on the one hand, and a grounded perspective based on relationships to the land and each other, on the other.

Étude de l'efficacité de barrages à seuils gonflables pour l'affaiblissement préventif du couvert de glace - Berberian, Kévin (2022)
Alors que pour la plupart des rivières, la rupture du couvert de glace est un processus d'amont en aval, la rupture en estuaire est un processus de l'aval vers l'amont. Les ondes de marée qui remontent l'embouchure des estuaires parviennent à fracturer la couverture de glace en morceaux lors de la marée montante et transportent ensuite ces morceaux hors de l'estuaire lors de la marée descendante. Les conditions hydrométéorologiques affectant ce processus restent peu documentées et mal comprises. À cette fin, une campagne de terrain de deux ans a été mise sur pied pour surveiller la débâcle printanière dans quatre estuaires du Québec. Les résultats ont montré que l'affaiblissement thermique de la glace est un précurseur nécessaire à la débâcle de celle-ci. D'autres facteurs comme le marnage et le débit sont aussi des paramètres importants pour prédire le type de débâcle qui sera observé. En parallèle, une simulation numérique (Hec-Ras) d'une section de la rivière Saint-Anne, au Québec, a été menée en y ajoutant un barrage à seuil gonflable (à Chute-Panet). Celui-ci permettrait de reproduire artificiellement les cycles de marées. Les critères hydrauliques montrent que l'ajout de ce type de barrage permettrait de faciliter la destruction et l'évacuation du couvert de glace avant que celui-ci ne provoque des inondations dans la ville de Saint-Raymond. Des critères empiriques et l'application de la théorie des poutres reposant sur des fondations élastiques ont aussi été utilisés pour affiner notre compréhension du phénomène de rupture en rivière gelée. Finalement, le troisième volet de cette étude porte sur la réalisation d'une maquette de rivière en laboratoire d'hydraulique. Son utilisation vise à combler les limites des modèles numériques et à étudier différents scénarios d'opération du barrage.

La surimplication maternelle et l'anxiété chez l'enfant dans un contexte de stress prénatal maternel : une étude observationnelle de QF2011 Queensland Flood Study - Bucur, Alexandra (2021)
Les troubles anxieux apparaissent très tôt chez les jeunes. Les études corrélationnelles suggèrent que plusieurs facteurs, tels que le stress prénatal maternel (SPM) et la surimplication maternelle contribueraient à leur développement et à leur maintien. L’objectif de l’étude est de mieux comprendre si la surimplication maternelle est une cause ou une conséquence de l’anxiété chez l’enfant, le tout dans un contexte de stress prénatal maternel causé par un désastre naturel. L’échantillon fait partie d’un projet plus grand dans lequel les stress objectif et subjectif ont été mesurés chez les femmes enceintes lors de l’inondation en 2011 à Queensland en Australie. L’échantillon de l’étude inclut 72 dyades mère-enfant, ayant complété une tâche difficile de casse-tête, d’une durée de 5 minutes, lorsque les enfants étaient âgés de 4 ans. À partir des vidéos, les observateurs ont évalué le comportement maternel (la surimplication) et le comportement de l’enfant (l’anxiété) en continu. Des techniques d’analyse séquentielle ont été utilisées pour déterminer la probabilité qu’un comportement maternel de surimplication se produise avant ou après un comportement anxieux et vice versa. Les corrélations obtenues entre le SPM (objectif et subjectif), le comportement anxieux de l’enfant et le comportement de surimplication maternelle n’ont pas été significatives. Le comportement de surimplication n’est pas un médiateur entre le SPM (objectif et subjectif) et le comportement anxieux de l’enfant. Toutefois, les chances qu’un comportement maternel de surimplication suive un comportement anxieux chez l’enfant étaient plus grandes que les chances qu’un comportement anxieux suive un comportement maternel de surimplication. Nos résultats suggèrent que le stress prénatal maternel n’est pas associé avec le comportement de surimplication maternelle, ni avec le comportement anxieux de l’enfant. La surimplication maternelle est plutôt une réaction au comportement anxieux de l’enfant. Il est essentiel, pour de futures recherches, de se rappeler que l’enfant est un participant actif dans la relation mère-enfant et qu’il est important d’étudier la bidirectionnalité de la relation pour mieux comprendre et pour mieux intervenir.

The impact of habitat quality and anthropogenic fragmentation on the functional connectivity of river networks for fish - Arkilanian, Alexandre (McGill University, 2021)

Développement d’approches statistiques multivariées pour les modèles de copules, applications en hydrologie. - Ben Nasr, Iméne (Doctorat en sciences de l'eau, 2021)
Les études portant sur les évènements hydrologiques extrêmes sont d’une grande importance vu leurs nombreux impacts socio-économiques. Ces études reposent dans une large mesure sur la capacité à estimer adéquatement les risques associés à ces évènements. Dans ce cadre, l’analyse fréquentielle (AF) est une des approches les plus utilisées pour la modélisation et l’estimation des risques associés aux évènements extrêmes. Généralement, ces évènements sont caractérisés par plusieurs variables dépendantes, comme le volume, la pointe et la durée pour les crues. Par conséquent, l'analyse de chacune de ces variables séparément ne peut pas fournir une évaluation complète des risques et peut engendrer des pertes de vies humaines ou de biens associés à une sous estimation, ou une augmentation des coûts des ouvrages hydrauliques associés à une surestimation. L’AF multivariée (AFM) permet de pallier ce problème en considérant simultanément ces variables. L’AF classique est basée sur trois hypothèses à savoir l’homogénéité, la stationnarité et l’indépendance. Par ailleurs, différentes conditions non standards telles que la complexité topographique, les perturbations par les aménagements urbains et les changements climatiques peuvent influencer la réponse hydrologique. De telles conditions rendent la prédétermination des crues, par les méthodes classiques d’AFM, un exercice non efficace et mal adapté à de tels contextes. L’objectif de cette thèse consiste à proposer de nouvelles méthodes plus prometteuses pour l'analyse et la modélisation des variables hydrologiques à la fois dans un cadre multivarié et en l’absence de l’hypothèse d’homogénéité. Ces méthodes visent à contourner les limites de celles utilisées dans la littérature. Ces nouvelles méthodes, basées sur les copules, permettent une meilleure estimation des risques des extrêmes hydrologiques en tenant compte des interactions et es dépendances entre les différentes variables. Par conséquent, les gestionnaires des ressources hydriques peuvent prendre des décisions éclairées et mieux adaptées au contexte actuel. Précisément, nous nous intéressons dans une première partie à tester l’homogénéité des séries hydrologiques multivariées. Pour ce faire, nous avons proposé un nouveau test, basé sur les L moments multivariés, capable de détecter la rupture dans la structure de dépendance des variables hydrologiques. Les résultats obtenus montrent la bonne performance du test proposé sous différents scénarios. Par la suite, dans le but de modéliser l’hétérogénéité des séries hydrologiques multivariées, un modèle de mélange de copules a été mis au point. Dans ce cadre, nous avons proposé une nouvelle méthode pour l’estimation des différents paramètres du modèle. La méthode proposée est basée sur l’utilisation des algorithmes génétiques. Sa performance est illustrée sur des séries simulées. Les résultats obtenus montrent que la méthode proposée est un outil efficace capable de fournir de bonnes estimations, en particulier dans un contexte hydrologique. Finalement, deux nouveaux tests d’adéquation pour les copules multiparamètres ont été développés. Le but de ces tests est de vérifier la qualité de l’ajustement de la copule aux données et améliorer ainsi l’estimation des risques associés aux évènements extrêmes. Les résultats révèlent que les tests proposés performent bien dans le contexte hydrologique. Studies of hydrological extreme events are of great importance given their many socio-economic impacts. These studies rely on the ability to adequately estimate the associated risk. In this context, frequency analysis (FA) is one of the most widely used approaches for modeling and estimating the risks associated with extreme events. Generally, these events are characterized by several correlated random variables. Therefore, analyzing each of these variables separately cannot provide a complete risk assessment and may result in loss of life or property associated with an underestimation, or an increase in the costs of hydraulic structure associated with an overestimation. Multivariate FA (MFA) overcomes this problem by simultaneously considering these variables. Classical FA is based on three assumptions namely homogeneity, stationarity and independence. However, different non-standard conditions such as topographic complexity, disturbances by urban development and climate change can influence the hydrological response. Such conditions make flood predetermination, by conventional MFA methods, an ineffective exercise and unsuitable to such contexts. The main objective of this thesis is to propose new and more promising methods for the analysis and modeling of hydrological variables both in a multivariate framework and in the lack of the homogeneity assumption. These methods aim to overcome the limitations of classical methods used in the literature. These new proposed methods, based on copulas, allow a better estimation of the risks associated to hydrological extremes by taking into account the dependence between the different variables. As a result, water resource managers can make informed decisions that are better suited to the current context. In the first part, we propose a novel statistical test for multivariate heterogeneity detection, based on copula and multivariate L-moments. A simulation study is conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed test and to compare it with those of existing tests. Results show the ability of the proposed test to discriminate homogeneous and inhomogeneous series. In the second part, we propose a new model based on mixtures of copulas that take into account the heterogeneity of multivariate hydrological series. To estimate the components of this model, we propose a new parameter estimation approach, based on the maximum pseudo-likelihood using genetic algorithms. Results indicate that the proposed method estimates more accurately the parameters even with small sample sizes compared to the existing classical EM method. In the last part, we introduce new goodness of fit (GOF) tests specifically for multiparameter copulas and adapted to hydrometeorological context. More precisely, the proposed GOF tests are based on multivariate L moments. A simulation study is conducted to evaluate and compare the performances of the proposed tests. The results confirm the usefulness of the new GOF tests in comparison with some well-established ones.

Évaluation de l'incertitude liée à la modélisation hydraulique au sein d'un système de prévision d'ensemble des niveaux d'eau - Bessar, Mohammed Amine (2021)
Les inondations présentent une grande menace à la sécurité humaine et matérielle. Les effets associés à ces phénomènes naturels risquent d'augmenter encore plus avec les tendances liées aux changements climatiques. Il est donc important de disposer d'outils de prévision et de prévention des crues fiables afin de mitiger les conséquences dévastatrices reliées. La mise en œuvre de ces outils implique des processus physiques assez complexes et nécessite beaucoup de données avec toute l'incertitude associée. Dans cette thèse, on explore les différentes sources d'incertitudes liée à la détermination des niveaux d'eau en rivières principalement dans un contexte de prévision où l'incertitude liée aux données de forçage est très importante. Les analyses conduites sont appliquées à la rivière Chaudière au Québec. En premier lieu, nous avons exploré les différentes sources paramétriques d'incertitude associées à la modélisation hydraulique dans un contexte de simulation avec un accent sur l'amélioration de la calibration du modèle hydraulique. Par la suite, dans un contexte de prévision opérationnel, on a évalué la propagation des sources d'incertitude de la prévision atmosphérique au modèle de rivière en passant par les prévisions hydrologiques avec des techniques probabilistes d'ensemble. La quantification de l'incertitude a montré que les données de forçage sont celles qui contribuent le plus à la description de l'incertitude dans la détermination des niveaux d'eau. L'incertitude paramétrique, dans un contexte de prévision, est quant à elle négligeable. Le recours à des prévisions d'ensemble a permis de produire une prévision de niveau d'eau assez fiable et a montré que celle-ci est fortement liée à la qualité des données qui proviennent de la chaine de prévision hydrométéorologique à l'amont du système de prévision proposé.

Prenatal maternal stress and infant development as assessed by maturity of play behavior: a QF2011 Queensland flood study - Bhattacharya, Ruchika (McGill University, 2021)

Causes and consequences of movement in space and time: a multi-level approach in Trinidadian guppies - Blondel, Léa (McGill University, 2021)

Estimating flood impact on residential values (housing price) : the case of Laval (Canada), 1995-2007 - Abdelhalim, Maha (2020)
Cette thèse vise à améliorer notre compréhension du modèle hédonique et de son application sur les données des biens immobiliers afin d'étudier l'impact d'un événement / externalité / environnementale liée à la présence d'inondation sur la valeur des propriétés résidentielles. Étant donné que les données immobilières sont réparties dans l'espace et dans le temps, des "corrections" temporelles et spatiales sont nécessaires dans le processus de modélisation économétrique. La recherche prend appui sur l’équation de prix hédonique. L’analyse empirique recours également à l’estimateur de type différence de différences spatio-temporelles (STDID) afin d’étudier l’effet d’une inondation survenue en 1998 sur le prix des résidences dans la ville de Laval au Canada entre 1995-2007. Les résultats suggèrent que l’utilisation des informations sur les zones inondables dans le but d’évaluer l’impact des inondations sur les valeurs résidentielles n’est pas une approche nécessairement appropriée. Les conclusions suggèrent que la grande hétérogénéité des résultats notés dans la littérature n’est probablement pas étrangère à la façon de définir les résidences touchées par les inondations. Cela signifie que les recherches empiriques sur les effets des inondations sur la valeur immobilière mesurent en réalité la valeur liée à la perception du risque d'inondation et non l’effet réel de l'inondation. Les résultats suggèrent que les applications futures dans la littérature devront porter une attention particulière à la manière de définir les zones inondables et d’identifier les résidences réellement touchées.

Effects of regional climate model spatial resolution on hydrological modelling of summer-fall floods in southern Quebec - Castaneda-Gonzalez, Mariana (École de technologie supérieure, 2018)
This study aims to evaluate the effects of the Canadian Regional Climate Model’s (CRCM) spatial resolution on summer-fall floods simulation. Seven different climate simulations issued from the fourth and the fifth version of the CRCM are employed. Four different climate simulations issued from the fourth version of the CRCM (CRCM4) are compared. They are composed of two simulations driven by the Canadian General Circulation Model (CGCM) and two driven by the ERA-40c reanalysis using grid meshes of 15 km and 45 km resolutions for each driver. Three climate simulations issued from the fifth version of the CRCM (CRCM5) driven by the ERA-Interim at 0.44° (≈ 48 km), 0.22° (≈ 24 km) and 0.11° (≈ 12 km) spatial resolutions are used. All comparisons are evaluated on a daily time-step for the 1961-1990 period (for CRCM4) and for the 1981-2010 period (for CRCM5). These seven simulations (four from CRCM4 and three from CRCM5) are used as input for two hydrological models of varying complexity (HSAMI and MOHYSE). Each model is calibrated using three different objective functions based on the Kling-Gupta Efficiency criteria (KGE) to target the summer-fall floods. Three seasonal indices are used to evaluate the CRCM outputs: bias (temperature), relative bias (precipitation) and variances ratio (temperature and precipitation). In an attempt to evaluate the effects of the spatial resolution on the hydrological modelling of summer-fall floods, streamflow simulations are generated using the seven climate datasets. The generated climate-driven streamflow simulations are analysed by two performance statistics: the seasonal values of KGE and the seasonal relative biases. Summer-fall floods are evaluated through the use of four flood indicators, the 2-year, 5-year, 10-year and 20-year return periods. The results revealed an impact of spatial resolution on climate model outputs (temperature and precipitation) and on summer-fall floods simulation by the two hydrological models and the three different calibration approaches, although this can be due to other elements such as domain size and climate model driver. The flood indicators demonstrate an increase on the summer-fall floods return periods with increasing resolution from both hydrological models. On the other hand the hydrological models structure and the calibration approaches did not show significant impacts on the summer-fall floods. The results highlight the need for further research to assess the additional uncertainty due to the impacts of the climate simulations spatial resolution on hydrological studies.

Developing an ensemble machine learning framework for enhanced climate projections using CMIP6 data in the Middle East - Khosravi, Younes; Ouarda, Taha B.M.J.; Homayouni, Saeid (npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, 2025)
Abstract Climate change in the Middle East has intensified with rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and more frequent extreme events. This study introduces the Stacking-EML framework, which merges five machine learning models three meta-learners to predict maximum temperature, minimum temperature, and precipitation using CMIP6 data under SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5. The results indicate that Stacking-EML not only significantly improves prediction accuracy compared to individual models and traditional CMIP6 outputs but also enhances climate projections by integrating multiple ML models, offering more reliable, regionally refined forecasts. Findings show R² improvements to 0.99 for maximum temperature, 0.98 for minimum temperature, and 0.82 for precipitation. Under SSP5-8.5, summer temperatures in southern regions are expected to exceed 45 °C, exacerbating drought conditions due to reduced rainfall. Spatial analysis reveals that Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, and Iran face the greatest heat and drought impacts, while Turkey and northern Iran may experience increased precipitation and flood risks.
Keywords: Infolettre; Infolettre_Mai_2025

Phosphorus retention and hydraulic performance in borrow sand-based wastewater soil treatment units in impermeable settings: Case study in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Québec - Sheibani, Sorour; Nasrallah, Michelle; Courcelles, Benoît; Rosa, Eric; Maylal, Brahim; Claveau-Mallet, Dominique (Journal of Water Process Engineering, 2025)
Keywords: Infolettre; Infolettre_Mai_2025

Quantifying the mitigation effect of natural landscapes during an extraordinary flood: the prominent role of the Otter Creek wetlands to middlebury, Vermont, USA, during Tropical Storm Irene - Lachapelle, Simon; Rousseau, Alain N.; Blanchette, Marianne; Foulon, Etienne; Savary, Stéphane (Canadian Water Resources Journal / Revue canadienne des ressources hydriques, 2025)
Keywords: Infolettre; Infolettre_Avril_2025

Quantitative assessment of hydrological multifunctionality of headwater wetlands - Wu, Yanfeng; Ni, Bingbo; Xue, Zhenshan; Dong, Liqin; Zhang, Kun; Rousseau, Alain N.; Zhang, Guangxin; Song, Kaishan (Journal of Hydrology, 2025)
Keywords: Infolettre; Infolettre_Avril_2025

Novel statistical analysis illustrates the importance of flow source for extreme variation in dissolved organic carbon in a eutrophic reservoir in the Great Plains - Baron, Anthony A. P.; Baulch, Helen M.; Nazemi, Ali; Whitfield, Colin J. (Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 2025)
Abstract. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) trends, predominantly showing long-term increases in concentration, have been observed across many regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Elevated DOC concentrations are a major concern for drinking water treatment plants, owing to the effects of disinfection byproduct formation, the risk of bacterial regrowth in water distribution systems, and treatment cost increases. Using a unique 30-year data set encompassing both extreme wet and dry conditions in a eutrophic drinking water reservoir in the Great Plains of North America, we investigate the effects of changing source-water and in-lake water chemistry on DOC. We employ novel wavelet coherence analyses to explore the coherence of changes in DOC with other environmental variables and apply a generalized additive model to understand predictor–DOC responses. We found that the DOC concentration was significantly coherent with (and lagging behind) flow from a large upstream mesotrophic reservoir at long (> 18-month) timescales. DOC was also coherent with (lagging behind) sulfate and in phase with total phosphorus, ammonium, and chlorophyll a concentrations at short (≤ 18-month) timescales across the 30-year record. These variables accounted for 56 % of the deviance in DOC from 1990 to 2019, suggesting that water-source and in-lake nutrient and solute chemistry are effective predictors of the DOC concentration. Clearly, climate and changes in water and catchment management will influence source-water quality in this already water-scarce region. Our results highlight the importance of flow management to shallow eutrophic reservoirs; wet periods can exacerbate water quality issues, and these effects can be compounded by reducing inflows from systems with lower DOC. These flow management decisions address water level and flood risk concerns but also have important impacts on drinking water treatability.
Keywords: Infolettre; Infolettre_Avril_2025

Vegetation and channel adjustment trajectories in cold regions: The effects of ice disturbances in two Gaspesian rivers - Prugne, Matthieu; Corenblit, Dov; Boivin, Maxime; Buffin‐Bélanger, Thomas (Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 2025)
Abstract Fluvial biogeomorphology has proven to be efficient in understanding the evolution of rivers in terms of vegetation succession and channel adjustment. The role of floods as the primary disturbance regime factor has been widely studied, and our knowledge of their effects on vegetation and channel adjustment has grown significantly in the last two decades. However, cold rivers experiencing ice dynamics (e.g., ice jams and mechanical breakups) as an additional disturbance regime have not yet been studied within a biogeomorphological scope. This study investigated the long‐term effects of ice dynamics on channel adjustments and vegetation trajectories in two rivers with different geomorphological behaviours, one laterally confined (Matapédia River) and one mobile (Petite‐Cascapédia River), in Quebec, Canada. Using dendrochronological analysis, historical data and aerial photographs from 1963 to 2016, this study reconstructed ice jam chronologies, characterized flood regimes and analysed vegetation and channel changes through a photointerpretation approach. The main findings of this study indicate that geomorphological impacts of mechanical ice breakups are not significant at the decadal and reach scales and that they might not be the primary factors of long‐term geomorphological control. However, results have shown that vegetation was more sensitive to ice dynamics. Reaches presenting frequent ice jams depicted high regression rates and turnovers even during years with very low floods, suggesting that ice dynamics significantly increase shear stress on plant patches. This study also highlights the high resiliency of both rivers to ice jam disturbances, with vegetation communities and channel forms recovering within a decade. With the uncertainties following the reach/corridor and decadal scales, future research should focus on long‐term monitoring and refined spatial scales to better understand the mechanisms behind the complex interactions among ice dynamics, vegetation and hydrogeomorphological processes in cold rivers.
Keywords: Infolettre; Infolettre_Avril_2025

Economic Exposure of Canadian Residential Properties to Flooding - Morin, Gabriel; Boudreault, Mathieu; Thistlethwaite, Jason; Bourdeau‐Brien, Michael; Chenette, Jacob; Henstra, Daniel; Raikes, Jonathan (Journal of Flood Risk Management, 2025)
ABSTRACT Flood risk management (FRM) involves planning proactively for flooding in high‐risk areas to reduce its impacts on people and property. A key challenge for governments pursuing FRM is to pinpoint assets that are highly economically exposed and vulnerable to flood hazards in order to prioritize them in policy and planning. This paper presents a novel flood risk assessment, making use of a dataset that identifies the location, dwelling type, property characteristics, and potential economic losses of Canadian residential properties. The findings reveal that the average annual costs are $1.4B, but most of the risks are concentrated in high‐risk areas. Data gaps are uncovered that justify replication through local validation studies. The results provide a novel evidence base for specific reforms in Canada's approach to FRM, with a focus on insurance that improves both implementation and effectiveness.
Keywords: Infolettre; Infolettre_Mars_2025

Limits of Blue and Green Infrastructures to Adapt Actual Urban Drainage Systems to the Impact of Climate Change - Benoit, Thomas; Martel, Jean-Luc; Bilodeau, Émilie; Brissette, François; Charron, Alain; Brulé, Dominic; Rivard, Gilles; Deslauriers, Simon (Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, 2025)
Keywords: Infolettre; Infolettre_Mars_2025

Meteorologically Related Factors Leading to the 2008, 2018, and 2019 Major Spring Floods in the Transboundary Saint John River (Wolastoq) Basin - Rickard, Lisa J.; Déry, Stephen J.; Stewart, Ronald E.; Thériault, Julie M. (Journal of Hydrometeorology, 2025)
Abstract The flood-prone Saint John River (SJR, Wolastoq), which lies within a drainage basin of 55 110 km 2 , flows a length of 673 km from its source in northern Maine, United States, to its mouth in southern New Brunswick, Canada. Major industries in the basin include forestry, agriculture, and hydroelectric power. During the 1991–2020 reference period, the SJR basin (SJRB) experienced major spring flood events in 2008, 2018, and 2019. As part of the Saint John River Experiment on Cold Season Storms, the objective of this research is to characterize and contrast these three major spring flood events. Given that the floods all occurred during spring, the hypothesis being tested is that rapid snowmelt alone is the dominant driver of flooding in the SJRB. There were commonalities and differences regarding the contributing factors of the three flood years. When averaged across the upper basin, they showed consistency in terms of positive winter and spring total precipitation anomalies, positive snow water equivalent anomalies, and steep increases in April cumulative runoff. Rain-on-snow events were a prominent feature of all three flood years. However, differences between flood years were also evident, including inconsistencies with respect to ice jams and high tides. Certain factors were present in only one or two of the three flood years, including positive total precipitation anomalies in spring, positive heavy liquid precipitation anomalies in spring, positive heavy solid precipitation anomalies in winter, and positive temperature anomalies in spring. The dominant factor contributing to peak water levels was rapid snowmelt.
Keywords: Infolettre; Infolettre_Mars_2025

Assessing hydrological erosion estimation using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model in Google Earth Engine: a case study of Medjerda River Catchment, Tunisia - Cherif, Mouna; Saidi, Salwa; Ezzine, Ahmed; Darragi, Fadila; Homayouni, Saeid (Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration, 2025)
Keywords: Infolettre; Infolettre_Mars_2025

Flooding: Contributing factors to residential flood damage in Canada - Deschamps, Bernard; Boudreault, Mathieu; Gachon, Philippe (International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2025)
Keywords: Gachon_Philippe; Infolettre; Infolettre_Avril_2025; Infolettre_Mars_2025

Multi-sensor remote sensing to map glacier debris cover in the Greater Caucasus, Georgia - Holobâcă, Iulian-Horia; Tielidze, Levan G.; Ivan, Kinga; Elizbarashvili, Mariam; Alexe, Mircea; Germain, Daniel; Petrescu, Sorin Hadrian; Pop, Olimpiu Traian; Gaprindashvili, George (Journal of Glaciology, 2021)
Abstract Global warming is causing glaciers in the Caucasus Mountains and around the world to lose mass at an accelerated pace. As a result of this rapid retreat, significant parts of the glacierized surface area can be covered with debris deposits, often making them indistinguishable from the surrounding land surface by optical remote-sensing systems. Here, we present the DebCovG-carto toolbox to delineate debris-covered and debris-free glacier surfaces from non-glacierized regions. The algorithm uses synthetic aperture radar-derived coherence images and the normalized difference snow index applied to optical satellite data. Validating the remotely-sensed boundaries of Ushba and Chalaati glaciers using field GPS data demonstrates that the use of pairs of Sentinel-1 images (2019) from identical ascending and descending orbits can substantially improve debris-covered glacier surface detection. The DebCovG-carto toolbox leverages multiple orbits to automate the mapping of debris-covered glacier surfaces. This new automatic method offers the possibility of quickly correcting glacier mapping errors caused by the presence of debris and makes automatic mapping of glacierized surfaces considerably faster than the use of other subjective methods.

Empirical Rainfall Thresholds for Landslide Occurrence in Serra do Mar, Angra dos Reis, Brazil - Germain, Daniel; Roy, Sébastien; Jose Teixera Guerra, Antonio (Landslides, 2022)
In the tropical environment such as Brazil, the frequency of rainfall-induced landslides is particularly high because of the rugged terrain, heavy rainfall, increasing urbanization, and the orographic effect of mountain ranges. Since such landslides repeatedly interfere with human activities and infrastructures, improved knowledge related to spatial and temporal prediction of the phenomenon is of interest for risk management. This study is an analysis of empirical rainfall thresholds, which aims to establish local and regional scale correlations between rainfall and the triggering of landslides in Angra dos Reis in the State of Rio de Janeiro. A statistical analysis combining quantile regression and binary logistic regression was performed on 1640 and 526 landslides triggered by daily rainfall over a 6-year period in the municipality and the urban center of Angra dos Reis, in order to establish probabilistic rainfall duration thresholds and assess the role of antecedent rainfall. The results show that the frequency of landslides is highly correlated with rainfall events, and surprisingly the thresholds in dry season are lower than those in wet season. The aspect of the slopes also seems to play an important role as demonstrated by the different thresholds between the southern and northern regions. Finally, the results presented in this study provide new insight into the spatial and temporal dynamics of landslides and rainfall conditions leading to their activation in this tropical and mountainous environment.

Snow-avalanche hazard assessment based on dendrogeomorphic reconstructions and classification tree algorithms for ski area development, Parâng Mountains, Romania - Germain, Daniel; Pop, Olimpiu Traian; Gratton, Mathieu; Holobâcă, Iulian-Horea; Burada, Cristina (Cold Regions Science and Technology, 2022)

Disaster Risk Resilience: Conceptual Evolution, Key Issues, and Opportunities - Graveline, Marie-Hélène; Germain, Daniel (International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2022)
Abstract Resilience has become a cornerstone for risk management and disaster reduction. However, it has evolved extensively both etymologically and conceptually in time and across scientific disciplines. The concept has been (re)shaped by the evolution of research and practice efforts. Considered the opposite of vulnerability for a long time, resilience was first defined as the ability to resist, bounce back, cope with, and recover quickly from the impacts of hazards. To avoid the possible return to conditions of vulnerability and exposure to hazards, the notions of post-disaster development, transformation, and adaptation (build back better) and anticipation, innovation, and proactivity (bounce forward) were then integrated. Today, resilience is characterized by a multitude of components and several classifications. We present a selection of 25 components used to define resilience, and an interesting linkage emerges between these components and the dimensions of risk management (prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery), offering a perspective to strengthen resilience through the development of capacities. Despite its potential, resilience is subject to challenges regarding its operationalization, effectiveness, measurement, credibility, equity, and even its nature. Nevertheless, it offers applicability and opportunities for local communities as well as an interdisciplinary look at global challenges.

Environmental drivers of paraglacial time duration and intensity for scree slopes dynamics in forested environments - Germain, Daniel; Stabile‐Caillé, Ludwig (Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 2023)
Abstract The highly fissile lithology of the rockwalls and the diversity of mass‐wasting processes provide a specific character to the active talus slopes of the northern Gaspé Peninsula since deglaciation. At a regional scale, the geology of the rockwalls, the patterns and modalities of deglaciation and the evolution towards a cold temperate morphoclimatic regime in a maritime context still influence the geomorphological dynamics of scree slopes today. At a local scale, the south–north orientation of the main coastal valleys influences insolation and exposure to prevailing winds, which in turn influence the snow cover regime and the occurrence of freeze–thaw cycles. The statistical analyses carried out from the mapping of 43 talus slopes and their geometric variables allowed the identification of significant environmental factors for the characterization of the dominant geomorphic processes: snow avalanches, frost‐coasted clast flows, debris flows and rockfalls. Slope aspect appears to be a key parameter in the nature of the processes acting on the talus slopes. East‐ and north‐facing talus slopes are generally covered by a significant snowpack in winter and the dominant processes are snow avalanches and debris flows. West‐ and south‐facing talus slopes face prevailing winds and insolation and are subject to frost‐coated clast flows, the main driver for forest regression, and rockfalls. However, the evolution of scree slopes in forested environments remains extremely complex due to the multiscale components that affect their evolution in the short, medium and long term.

An overcooled coarse‐grained talus slope at low elevation: New insights on air circulation and environmental impacts, Cannon Cliff, New Hampshire, USA - Germain, Daniel; Milot, Jean‐François (Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 2024)
Abstract Overcooled talus slopes are generally described as islands of sporadic permafrost below the lower alpine limit of permafrost. The negative thermal anomaly of the ground is mainly consecutive to the internal ventilation of the deposit, but it is also conditioned by multiple factors as topography, slope aspect and incline, openwork structure and coarseness of the deposit, air temperature, solar radiation and wind regime. Therefore, the study of the spatiotemporal dynamics of ventilation processes allows a better understanding of the phenomenon. At Cannon Cliff, New Hampshire (USA), several field visits and environmental monitoring allowed us to describe the varying nature and significance of the ventilation mechanisms that can be observed at the ground surface and associated with both the intensity and direction of the airflows in a talus debris accumulation/protalus rampart system. The thermal negative anomalies are strong enough to lower the ground temperature to the point of preserving ice during the late spring and summer seasons. The monitoring of the gradient between external (air) and internal (talus) temperatures coupled with several dendroecological and geomorphological analyses provided a complete environmental picture of the impacts, feedback and extent of the phenomenon.

Farmers Perceptions of Climate Change Issues in Tetritskaro Municipality, Georgia - Elizbarashvili, Mariam; Kvirkvelia, Bela; Chikhradze, Nino; Germaın, Daniel; Pal, Jeremy; Khuntselia, Tamar (Selcuk Journal of Agricultural and Food Sciences, 2024)
Agriculture is the traditional and leading field of economy of Tetritskaro Municipality, but faces the challenge of changing climate. The study investigates male and female farmers’ perception of climate change issues in Tetritskaro, their main source of information, adaptation measures choosen and their needs. Climate change data available in Tetritskaro focused on characteristic extreme weather events coupled with face-to-face interviews from 254 farmers (male - 53%, female - 47%) was analyzed. The study revealed that men and women have more or less similar perceptions of climate change issues. For male farmers, the main source of information on climate, seasonal prediction and weather forecast is conversations with fellow farmers, and for female farmers it is indigenous knowledge of the local environment. Male and female farmers, have adapted to the changes in climate similarly applying measures such as pesticides, fertilizer and irrigation, early sowing, and earlier harvest, while the exchange of information between fellow farmers, use of various hail protection products and crop diversification techniques is more frequent among male farmers. Farmers expressed the need for low interest loans to purchase agricultural products, equipment and restore/create windbreak zones. Most of the male farmers indicate the need for introduction new technologies, while female farmers are more in need of information and training in agricultural activities. The study shows the need for development of climate change adaptation policies and interventions in Tetritskaro. Obtained results can be used not only in other agricultural regions of Georgia, but in other countries with the same problems. , Agriculture is the traditional and leading field of economy of Tetritskaro Municipality, but faces the challenge of changing climate. The study investigates male and female farmers’ perception of climate change issues in Tetritskaro, their main source of information, adaptation measures choosen and their needs. Climate change data available in Tetritskaro focused on characteristic extreme weather events coupled with face-to-face interviews from 254 farmers (male - 53%, female - 47%) was analyzed. The study revealed that men and women have more or less similar perceptions of climate change issues. For male farmers, the main source of information on climate, seasonal prediction and weather forecast is conversations with fellow farmers, and for female farmers it is indigenous knowledge of the local environment. Male and female farmers, have adapted to the changes in climate similarly applying measures such as pesticides, fertilizer and irrigation, early sowing, and earlier harvest, while the exchange of information between fellow farmers, use of various hail protection products and crop diversification techniques is more frequent among male farmers. Farmers expressed the need for low interest loans to purchase agricultural products, equipment and restore/create windbreak zones. Most of the male farmers indicate the need for introduction new technologies, while female farmers are more in need of information and training in agricultural activities. The study shows the need for development of climate change adaptation policies and interventions in Tetritskaro. Obtained results can be used not only in other agricultural regions of Georgia, but in other countries with the same problems.

Hidden engineers of the earth: Investigating the geomorphic impacts of small fossorial rodents in the Vaud Pre-Alps, Switzerland - Germain, Daniel (CATENA, 2025)

A novel statistical model for flood prediction in the Eel River watershed, New Brunswick, Canada - Faghfouri, Ali; Hentati, Achraf; Fortin, Guillaume; Germain, Daniel (Water Science, 2023)

Design Optimization of Concrete Gravity Dam Subjected to Near-field Earthquake Based on Novel Lean-bubble Sort Approach - Faghfouri, Ali; Germain, Daniel; Fortin, Guillaume (KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering, 2024)
Due to limitations in traditional concrete gravity dam (CGD) design, a new approach is necessary. In this study, the lean analysis as a novel approach for CGD design, considering the interaction between dam and reservoir was considered. Maximum and minimum stresses at the heel and displacement of the crest were obtained as crucial input values of bubble sorting based on seismic analysis using Finite element analysis (FEA), and the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP). The fuzzy bubble sorting analytic process, aimed at developing a novel method for selecting the best CGD configuration, was developed. Required Criteria, Sub-Criteria and developed models were applied to optimize the body of CGD. The weight of each sub-criterion and models were calculated based on pairwise comparison matrices. The novel approach was designed in MATLAB with the OPT-CGD code to select the best CGD model. The best weight of the Criteria, for selecting the best CGD model, based on the lean construction principles was selected from 60 developed models under implicit dynamic analysis. Statistical analysis reveals a 20% reduction in the concrete mass of the case study’s optimal body compared to the traditionally designed dam.

Trends and historical patterns of meteorological droughts in New Brunswick, Canada, using PDSI and SEDI indices - Faghfouri, Ali; Fortin, Guillaume; Ullmann, Albin; Raymond, Florian; Poirier, Charlotte; Dubreuil, Vincent; Germain, Daniel (Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 2025)
Droughts are increasingly recognized as a significant global challenge, with severe impacts observed in Canada's Prairie provinces. While less frequent in Eastern Canada, prolonged precipitation deficits, particularly during summer, can lead to severe drought conditions. This study investigates the causes and consequences of droughts in New Brunswick (NB) by employing two drought indices: the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) and Standardized Evapotranspiration Deficit Index (SEDI)– at ten weather stations across NB from 1971 to 2020. Additionally, the Canadian Gridded Temperature and Precipitation Anomalies (CANGRD) dataset (1979–2014) was utilized to examine spatial and temporal drought variability and its alignment with station-based observations. Statistical analyses, including the Mann–Kendall test and Sen's slope estimator, were applied to assess trends in drought indices on annual and seasonal timescales using both station and gridded data. The results identified the most drought-vulnerable regions in NB and revealed significant spatial and temporal variability in drought severity over the 1971–2020 period. Trend analyses further highlighted the intensification of extreme drought events during specific years. Coastal areas in southern NB were found to be particularly susceptible to severe drought conditions compared to inland regions, consistent with observed declines in both the frequency of rainy days and daily precipitation amounts in these areas. These findings underscore the need for targeted drought mitigation strategies particularly in NB’s coastal zones, to address the region’s increasing vulnerability to extreme drought events.

Neurocutaneous Disorders in Children - Korf, Bruce R.; Bebin, E. Martina (Pediatrics in Review, 2017)
Neurofibromatosis (NF), including type 1 (NF1), type 2 (NF2), and schwannomatosis; tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC); and Sturge-Weber syndrome are 3 neurocutaneous disorders that typically present in childhood. Early recognition by the pediatrician can be critical to surveillance for treatable complications and genetic counseling. These conditions are diagnosed clinically, but genetic testing is available to clarify an uncertain diagnosis or help with genetic counseling. Although many of the complications can only be treated symptomatically, advances in understanding of the pathogenesis are opening new approaches to molecularly targeted therapeutics, which promise to alter the natural history of the conditions in the years to come.

Establishing the Transitory Existence of Amorphous Phases in Crystallization Pathways by the CLASSIC NMR Technique - Hughes, Colan E.; Williams, P. Andrew; Kariuki, Benson M.; Harris, Kenneth D. M. (Chemphyschem: A European Journal of Chemical Physics and Physical Chemistry, 2018)
With the growing realization that crystallization processes may evolve through a sequence of different solid forms, including amorphous precursor phases, the development of suitable in-situ experimental probes is essential for comprehensively mapping the time-evolution of such processes. Here we demonstrate that the CLASSIC NMR (Combined Liquid- And Solid-State In-situ Crystallization NMR) strategy is a powerful technique for revealing the transitory existence of amorphous phases during crystallization processes, applying this technique to study crystallization of dl-menthol and l-menthol from their molten liquid phases. The CLASSIC NMR results provide direct insights into the conditions (including the specific time period) under which the molten liquid phase, transitory amorphous phases and final crystalline phases exist during these crystallization processes.

Wildlife Science Inclusive of Local Priorities and Knowledge Co-Production: Moose Habitat Selection in the Adapted Forestry Regime of Eeyou Istchee, Northern Quebec - ProQuest - Stern, Eleanor R. (2022)
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Quel regard porter sur le travail social à l’ère des changements climatiques? : le cas des inondations (2017-2019) au Québec - Hamelin, Marilou (2021)
Les changements climatiques anthropogéniques posent des défis énormes pour toutes les sociétés humaines. Ces défis majeurs mettront à l’épreuve les capacités d’adaptation des États et de ses institutions et des communautés partout dans le monde et devront se résoudre par un élan de solidarité humaine afin d’en atténuer les conséquences. Le Canada connaît déjà un réchauffement climatique important. Le pays a d’ailleurs récemment été touché par des événements climatiques extrêmes : des canicules, des feux de forêt, une sécheresse anormale et des inondations dont l’intensité est prévue d’augmenter avec les changements climatiques anthropogéniques. La province du Québec a quant à elle été touchée par de fortes inondations entre 2017 et 2019. L’objectif principal de la présente étude vise à discuter la manière dont le paradigme écosocial peut faire évoluer le travail social en tant que champ de savoir et d’intervention dans un contexte de changements climatiques. Cette étude s’est appuyée sur des données issues de groupes focus réalisés avec des intervenants suite aux inondations survenues au Québec (2017-2019). Notre analyse vise les interventions réalisées en contexte d’inondations, dans le sud de la province, mise en œuvre par le système de santé. Les données ont été collectées lors d’entrevues de groupe réalisées avec des intervenants psychosociaux et des gestionnaires de CI(U)SSS au courant des mois d’octobre et de novembre 2019. Les thèmes suivants ont émergé des analyses: les caractéristiques des inondations de 2019, les divergences d’opinions vis-à-vis des changements climatiques, l’aide et le soutien apportés durant les inondations et la participation citoyenne. J’insisterai également sur l’exacerbation possible des inégalités sociales dans ce contexte. D’autres thèmes se sont également révélés importants : l’engagement des intervenants psychosociaux, la participation et la décentralisation des décisions politiques. Enfin, mes réflexions porteront sur les conséquences sociales qu’entrainent les inondations et sur les types de pratiques sociales qui s’avèrent pertinentes à l’ère des changements climatiques et dans un contexte d’urgence.

L’évaluation du fonctionnement social aux temps des changements climatiques : l’importance des injustices environnementales - St-Amour, N; Hamel, A (L’intégration de l’évaluation du fonctionnement social à la pratique en travail social, 2024)

L’intervention individuelle et collective sous le prisme du travail écosocial - Larocque, E; Hamel, A; St-Amour, N (Mettre en œuvre le travail social de demain : renouvellement et défis de l’intervention sociale, 2024)

Processus de rétablissement et attachement au lieu dans un contexte de cumul d’inondations : perspective des résident.es d’un quartier socioéconomiquement défavorisé de Gatineau - Hamel, Ariane (Université du Québec en Outaouais, 2024)
Dans la dernière décennie, le Québec a été touché par plusieurs épisodes d’inondations majeures. C’est le cas des communautés riveraines de Pointe-Gatineau, frappées par des inondations historiques en 2017, 2019 et 2023. Depuis, le départ d’une grande partie des riverains de ce quartier socio-économiquement défavorisé et la destruction de plusieurs maisons laissent un grand vide. La présence de nombreux lots vacants amène de l’incertitude parmi les citoyen.nes qui sont resté.es, dans ce qui est considéré comme l’un des plus vieux quartiers de Gatineau (Conseil régional de l'environnement et du développement durable de l'Outaouais, 2021). Bien que ce domaine d’étude soit en émergence, on observe dans la littérature que l’attachement des individus à leur milieu suivant une ou des catastrophes exercerait une influence sur leur processus de rétablissement. Cette étude s’intéresse donc au processus de rétablissement d’individus provenant d’un quartier socioéconomiquement défavorisé qui ont vécu un cumul d’inondations, et au rôle de l’attachement au lieu dans ce processus. Cette recherche mobilise le cadre de désorientation et de réorientation proposé par Cox et Perry (2011) pour expliquer le processus de rétablissement d’individus dans un lieu modifié par un désastre. L’attachement au lieu est conceptualisé en fonction des dimensions recensées par Raymond et ses collègues (2010) et du sentiment d’être chez soi par Cox et Perry (2011). Quatorze personnes sinistrées qui ont vécu les inondations de 2017 et de 2019 dans le quartier de Pointe-Gatineau ont été rencontrées lors d’entrevues individuelles ou familiales en 2023. Parmi ce nombre, neuf demeurent encore dans les communautés riveraines de Pointe-Gatineau, alors que cinq ont quitté le quartier après les inondations de 2019. Les résultats révèlent que l’attachement au lieu joue un rôle prédominant dans le processus de rétablissement des sinistré.es. Selon les participant.es, l’attachement au lieu contribue à l’étape de désorientation ou favorise au contraire la réorientation. Les résultats soulignent en particulier que l’attachement que les participant.es ressentent envers leur domicile et leur environnement naturel et bâti constitue une motivation importante à vouloir demeurer dans le quartier inondable. Par contre, la recherche montre que des facteurs autres que la relation au lieu influencent également le processus de rétablissement, tels que la difficulté à naviguer dans les démarches administratives entourant les programmes d’indemnisation du gouvernement, le fait d’appartenir à un groupe vulnérable, le soutien social et certaines caractéristiques personnelles. De même, l’expérience de vivre plusieurs inondations amène des spécificités qui influencent elles aussi le processus de rétablissement. Les résultats dévoilent notamment des stratégies d’adaptation mises en place par les personnes participantes qui ont décidé de demeurer dans leur quartier. Les stratégies acquises avec l’expérience font en sorte qu’elles se sentent davantage préparées pour des éventuelles inondations. Cette recherche contribue à la littérature émergente qui s’intéresse au processus de rétablissement d’individus touchés par un cumul d’inondations et au rôle de l’attachement au lieu sur ce processus. Elle permet d’offrir des pistes de réflexion aux différents acteurs qui accompagnent les personnes sinistrées avant, pendant et après des inondations et propose des recommandations en ce sens.

Inondations répétées dans Pointe-Gatineau : d’un territoire vivant à un territoire déserté. Synthèse Villes, climat et inégalités. - Hamel, A; St-Amour, N (Réseau de recherche et de connaissances sur la ville et l’urbain., 2024)

Les bonnes pratiques d’interventions psychosociales à adopter lors d’inondation et les facteurs organisationnels favorisant leur bonne marche : point de vue d’intervenantes et d’intervenants de première et deuxième lignes - Maltais, Danielle; Hamel, Ariane; Lansard, Anne-Lise (Reflets, 2024)
En 2017 et en 2019, le Québec a vécu des inondations ayant provoqué d’importants dommages dans plus de 300 municipalités. Ces inondations ont mobilisé un grand nombre d’intervenantes et d’intervenants sociaux et municipaux afin d’assurer la sécurité et le bien-être des personnes sinistrées. Cet article présente le point de vue de ces personnes en lien avec les interventions psychosociales mises en place s’étant avérées efficaces pour atténuer ou prévenir l’apparition de problèmes de santé chez les individus sinistrés, ainsi que les facteurs organisationnels qui ont favorisé leur bon déroulement. Plusieurs types d’intervention psychosociale semblent avoir le potentiel de prévenir la détérioration de l’état de santé et le fonctionnement social des personnes sinistrées, dont l’adoption de l’approche « reaching out » et la mise en place d’équipes dédiées au rétablissement. , The floods that hit the province of Quebec in 2017 and 2019 resulted in significant damage to over 300 municipalities. Many social and municipal stakeholders were mobilized to ensure the safety and well-being of those affected by these floods. This article presents their point of view regarding the psychosocial interventions implemented. Interventions such as these have proven successful in mitigating or preventing health problems among disaster victims, as well as facilitating smooth operations. Psychosocial interventions, such as the “Reaching Out” approach and the creation of dedicated recovery teams, appear to be effective in preventing deterioration in the health status and social functioning of disaster victims.

Entre hydroélectricité, érosion et loisir: L’espace amphibien d’un réservoir navigable - Bouchard-Bastien, Emmanuelle (Anthropologie et Sociétés, 2023)

Espaces amphibiens, pouvoir et mémoire: les fluctuations de la rivière Sainte-Anne - Bouchard-Bastien, Emmanuelle (2023)
This thesis examines the main socio-environmental relationships related to recurrent floodings in the Sainte-Anne River watershed by mobilizing the history of land use, local knowledge and risk management policies. From a political ecology perspective, these relationships are part of both social representations of nature, power dynamics associated with the appropriation of ressources and multiple temporalities. By also mobilizing the theoreticals frameworks of the anthropology of disasters and amphibian anthropology, this study allow to retrace step by step what “flood zone” is as a socially constructed space by the authorities, and go back to the source of the advent of “flood” as a catastrophic event, where rising waters have been part of the characteristics of these territories since the beginning of the sedentarization of its inhabitants. Based on 93 semi-directed interviews (76 residents and 17 institutions stakeholders) realized between February to October 2019, non-participant observation and documentary research in municipal and regional archives, this ethnography of the Sainte-Anne River watershed allows a unique incursion with Quebec riverside residents who live with recurrent rising waters. Through four case studies (Saint-Raymond, Saint-Alban, Saint-Casimir and Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade), historical contexts of occupation of the territory were documented and significant events were described by focusing on local residents adaptation strategies and anticipated management by institutional stakeholders. The result is a portrait, in a temporal perspective, of the relationship of cohabitation between residents and the river and its overflows. This cohabitation is characterized by tensions and paradoxes associated with different social representations of water and temporality that coexist within the actors, as well as changes in power relations towards the environment. Cette thèse examine les principaux rapports socio-environnementaux liés aux inondations récurrentes dans le bassin versant de la rivière Sainte-Anne en mobilisant l’histoire de l’occupation du territoire, les savoirs locaux et les politiques de gestion des risques. Dans une perspective d’écologie politique, ces rapports s’inscrivent à la fois dans les représentations sociales de la nature, les dynamiques de pouvoir associées à l’appropriation des ressources et des temporalités multiples. En puisant également dans les cadres théoriques de l’anthropologie des catastrophes et de l’anthropologie amphibienne, cette étude permet notamment de retracer pas à pas ce qu’est la « zone inondable » en tant qu’espace construit socialement par les autorités, et de remonter à la source de l’avènement de « l’inondation » comme étant un événement catastrophique, alors que la montée des eaux fait partie des caractéristiques de ces territoires depuis le début de la sédentarisation des habitants. Basée sur 93 entrevues semi-dirigées (76 riverains et 17 acteurs institutionnels) menées de février à octobre 2019, de l’observation non participante et une recherche documentaire dans les archives municipales et régionales, cette ethnographie du bassin versant de la rivière Sainte-Anne permet une incursion unique auprès de citoyens québécois qui vivent avec la montée récurrente des eaux. Pour quatre municipalités riveraines (Saint-Raymond, Saint-Alban, Saint-Casimir et Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade), les contextes historiques de l’occupation du territoire ont été documentés et les événements significatifs ont été décrits en focalisant sur les stratégies d’adaptation des résidents et la gestion menée par des acteurs institutionnels. En résulte un portrait, dans une perspective temporelle, de la relation de cohabitation entre les riverains et la rivière et ses débordements. Cette cohabitation est caractérisée par des tensions et des paradoxes associés aux différentes représentations sociales de l’eau et de la temporalité qui coexistent au sein des acteurs, ainsi qu’aux changements dans les rapports de pouvoir envers l’environnement.
Keywords: Infolettre; Infolettre_Mars_2023

Drone-based ground-penetrating radar (GPR) application to snow hydrology - Valence, Eole; Baraer, Michel; Rosa, Eric; Barbecot, Florent; Monty, Chloe (The Cryosphere, 2022)
Seasonal snowpack deeply influences the distribution of meltwater among watercourses and groundwater. During rain-on-snow (ROS) events, the structure and properties of the different snow and ice layers dictate the quantity and timing of water flowing out of the snowpack, increasing the risk of flooding and ice jams. With ongoing climate change, a better understanding of the processes and internal properties influencing snowpack outflows is needed to predict the hydrological consequences of winter melting episodes and increases in the frequency of ROS events. This study develops a multi-method approach to monitor the key snowpack properties in a non-mountainous environment in a repeated and non-destructive way. Snowpack evolution during the winter of 2020–2021 was evaluated using a drone-based, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) coupled with photogrammetry surveys conducted at the Ste-Marthe experimental watershed in Quebec, Canada. Drone-based surveys were performed over a 200 m2 area with a flat and a sloped section. In addition, time domain reflectometry (TDR) measurements were used to follow water flow through the snowpack and identify drivers of the changes in snowpack conditions, as observed in the drone-based surveys. The experimental watershed is equipped with state-of-the-art automatic weather stations that, together with weekly snow pit measurements over the ablation period, served as a reference for the multi-method monitoring approach. Drone surveys conducted on a weekly basis were used to generate georeferenced snow depth, density, snow water equivalent and bulk liquid water content maps. Despite some limitations, the results show that the combination of drone-based GPR, photogrammetric surveys and TDR is very promising for assessing the spatiotemporal evolution of the key hydrological characteristics of the snowpack. For instance, the tested method allowed for measuring marked differences in snow pack behaviour between the first and second weeks of the ablation period. A ROS event that occurred during the first week did not generate significant changes in snow pack density, liquid water content and water equivalent, while another one that happened in the second week of ablation generated changes in all three variables. After the second week of ablation, differences in density, liquid water content (LWC) and snow water equivalent (SWE) between the flat and the sloped sections of the study area were detected by the drone-based GPR measurements. Comparison between different events was made possible by the contact-free nature of the drone-based measurements.
Keywords: Baraer_Michel; Infolettre; Infolettre_Octobre_2022; Site_internet_RIISQ

Comparing the performance of three methods to assess DOM dynamics within two distinct glacierized watersheds of the tropical Andes - Rodriguez-Avella, K.A.; Baraer, M.; Mark, B.; McKenzie, J.; Somers, L. (Environmental Pollution, 2020)
Keywords: Baraer_Michel

Groundwater Buffers Decreasing Glacier Melt in an Andean Watershed—But Not Forever - Somers, Lauren D.; McKenzie, Jeffrey M.; Mark, Bryan G.; Lagos, Pablo; Ng, Gene‐Hua Crystal; Wickert, Andrew D.; Yarleque, Christian; Baraër, Michel; Silva, Yamina (Geophysical Research Letters, 2019)
Abstract Accelerating mountain glacier recession in a warming climate threatens the sustainability of mountain water resources. The extent to which groundwater will provide resilience to these water resources is unknown, in part due to a lack of data and poorly understood interactions between groundwater and surface water. Here we address this knowledge gap by linking climate, glaciers, surface water, and groundwater into an integrated model of the Shullcas Watershed, Peru, in the tropical Andes, the region experiencing the most rapid mountain‐glacier retreat on Earth. For a range of climate scenarios, our model projects that glaciers will disappear by 2100. The loss of glacial meltwater will be buffered by relatively consistent groundwater discharge, which only receives minor recharge (~2%) from glacier melt. However, increasing temperature and associated evapotranspiration, alongside potential decreases in precipitation, will decrease groundwater recharge and streamflow, particularly for the RCP 8.5 emission scenario. , Plain Language Summary Mountain regions play an important role in water supply, because meltwater from snow and ice feeds rivers during dry periods. Groundwater (water stored in the pore spaces of soils and rock), which flows into rivers, is also an important store of water in mountain areas and may help to protect water resources against the negative impacts of shrinking mountain glaciers. We used extensive field measurements and computer modeling of the Shullcas Watershed in the Peruvian Andes to determine the current and future role of groundwater in the face of climate change. Our model projects that glaciers in our study area will disappear by 2100. The loss of glacier meltwater is buffered in the short term (~30 years) by consistent groundwater flow to rivers. However, in the long term (>60 years), precipitation is expected to decrease and rising temperatures lead to increased evaporation and water use by plants. These factors reduce groundwater recharge and storage, causing dry season streamflow to drop. , Key Points Groundwater accounts for a large fraction of streamflow and only receives minor (~2%) recharge from glaciers in the study catchment in Peru As meltwater decreases, groundwater provides consistent discharge in the near term (~30 years), becoming a larger fraction of streamflow In the long term (>60 years), groundwater storage and discharge decrease in response to higher evapotranspiration and lower precipitation
Keywords: Baraer_Michel

Multi-scale temporal variability in meltwater contributions in a tropical glacierized watershed - Saberi, Leila; McLaughlin, Rachel T.; Ng, G.-H. Crystal; La Frenierre, Jeff; Wickert, Andrew D.; Baraer, Michel; Zhi, Wei; Li, Li; Mark, Bryan G. (Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 2019)
Abstract. Climate models predict amplified warming at high elevations in low latitudes, making tropical glacierized regions some of the most vulnerable hydrological systems in the world. Observations reveal decreasing streamflow due to retreating glaciers in the Andes, which hold 99 % of all tropical glaciers. However, the timescales over which meltwater contributes to streamflow and the pathways it takes – surface and subsurface – remain uncertain, hindering our ability to predict how shrinking glaciers will impact water resources. Two major contributors to this uncertainty are the sparsity of hydrologic measurements in tropical glacierized watersheds and the complication of hydrograph separation where there is year-round glacier melt. We address these challenges using a multi-method approach that employs repeat hydrochemical mixing model analysis, hydroclimatic time series analysis, and integrated watershed modeling. Each of these approaches interrogates distinct timescale relationships among meltwater, groundwater, and stream discharge. Our results challenge the commonly held conceptual model that glaciers buffer discharge variability. Instead, in a subhumid watershed on Volcán Chimborazo, Ecuador, glacier melt drives nearly all the variability in discharge (Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.89 in simulations), with glaciers contributing a broad range of 20 %–60 % or wider of discharge, mostly (86 %) through surface runoff on hourly timescales, but also through infiltration that increases annual groundwater contributions by nearly 20 %. We further found that rainfall may enhance glacier melt contributions to discharge at timescales that complement glacier melt production, possibly explaining why minimum discharge occurred at the study site during warm but dry El Niño conditions, which typically heighten melt in the Andes. Our findings caution against extrapolations from isolated measurements: stream discharge and glacier melt contributions in tropical glacierized systems can change substantially at hourly to interannual timescales, due to climatic variability and surface to subsurface flow processes.
Keywords: Baraer_Michel

Sub-metre mapping of surface soil moisture in proglacial valleys of the tropical Andes using a multispectral unmanned aerial vehicle - Wigmore, Oliver; Mark, Bryan; McKenzie, Jeffrey; Baraer, Michel; Lautz, Laura (Remote Sensing of Environment, 2019)
Keywords: Baraer_Michel

Role of Mountain Glaciers in the Hydrological Dynamics of Headwater Basins in the Wet Andes - Lizama, Elizabet; Valenzuela, Marcelo Somos; Rivera, Diego; Lillo, Mario; Morales, Bastian; Baraër, Michel; Fernandez, Alfonso (2024)
Keywords: Baraer_Michel

Editorial: Connecting Mountain Hydroclimate Through the American Cordilleras - Fernández, Alfonso; Mark, Bryan G.; Baraer, Michel (Frontiers in Earth Science, 2021)
Keywords: Baraer_Michel

Proglacial icings as records of winter hydrological processes - Chesnokova, Anna; Baraër, Michel; Bouchard, Émilie (The Cryosphere, 2020)
Abstract. The ongoing warming of cold regions is affecting hydrological processes, causing deep changes, such as a ubiquitous increase in river winter discharges. The drivers of this increase are not yet fully identified mainly due to the lack of observations and field measurements in cold and remote environments. In order to provide new insights into the sources generating winter runoff, the present study explores the possibility of extracting information from icings that form over the winter and are often still present early in the summer. Primary sources detection was performed using time-lapse camera images of icings found in both proglacial fields and upper alpine meadows in June 2016 in two subarctic glacierized catchments in the upper part of the Duke watershed in the St. Elias Mountains, Yukon. As images alone are not sufficient to entirely cover a large and hydrologically complex area, we explore the possibility of compensating for that limit by using four supplementary methods based on natural tracers: (a) stable water isotopes, (b) water ionic content, (c) dissolved organic carbon, and (d) cryogenic precipitates. The interpretation of the combined results shows a complex hydrological system where multiple sources contribute to icing growth over the studied winter. Glaciers of all sizes, directly or through the aquifer, represent the major parent water source for icing formation in the studied proglacial areas. Groundwater-fed hillslope tributaries, possibly connected to suprapermafrost layers, make up the other detectable sources in icing remnants. If similar results are confirmed in other cold regions, they would together support a multi-causal hypothesis for a general increase in winter discharge in glacierized catchments. More generally, this study shows the potential of using icing formations as a new, barely explored source of information on cold region winter hydrological processes that can contribute to overcoming the paucity of observations in these regions.
Keywords: Baraer_Michel

Trace Metal Stream Contamination in a Post Peak Water Context: Lessons from the Cordillera Blanca, Peru - Guittard, Alexandre; Baraer, Michel; McKenzie, Jeffrey M.; Mark, Bryan G.; Rapre, Alejo C.; Bury, Jeffrey; Carey, Mark; Young, Kenneth R. (ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 2020)
Keywords: Baraer_Michel

Linking Mountain Glacier Retreat and Hydrological Changes in Southwestern Yukon - Chesnokova, A.; Baraër, M.; Laperrière‐Robillard, T.; Huh, K. (Water Resources Research, 2020)
Abstract This study aims to isolate and quantify the role of shrinking glaciers in recent hydrological changes in eight watersheds in the southwestern Yukon (Canada) by using an original dual approach that consists of (i) watershed hydrological regime identification, followed by a trend analysis of discharge time series, and (ii) a model‐based peak water (PW) analysis using glacier cover change measurements. A distinction between hydrological regimes is a necessary add‐up to commonly used trend attribution methods as the lake runoff regime shares common characteristics with the glacier regime. Results show a link between shrinking glaciers and hydrological changes in the region, but the link is complex, and glacier retreat does not explain all the observed changes. Model outputs show that the two watersheds with a glacierized area exceeding 30% and one watershed with 2.9% glacierized area have not reached PW, whereas a 9.2% glacierized watershed and another watershed with 2.1% glacierized area have already passed it. These results suggest that glacierized area alone cannot explain short‐term changes related to watershed current position in terms of PW, and the rate of glacier retreat must be considered. By contrast, the actual rate of glacier retreat does not influence long‐term changes, such as the magnitude of PW and of the consequent drop in discharge. Once glaciers will have retreated to a point close to extinction, declines in summer discharge from 10% to 70% and proportional to the actual glacier cover are anticipated at watersheds that are currently more than 9% glacierized. , Plain Language Summary In this study, we aim to understand how shrinking glacier cover affects river discharges. In conditions of continuous retreat, glaciers produce an initial increase in runoff as they lose mass. The discharge then reaches a turning point, a plateau called peak water, and subsequently declines as the volume of glacial ice continues to decrease. When analyzing eight watersheds with different glacier covers in the southwestern Yukon, we found that two watersheds that are 30% covered by glaciers have not yet reached this plateau, and therefore, the discharge will continue to increase. Several watersheds with smaller glacierized portions have passed peak water, which means that the discharge will now continue to decrease. We were also able to estimate the magnitudes of these changes in discharge. We show that two watersheds with 30% glacierized area can still experience a 1.5‐ to 2‐fold increase in discharge and that watersheds currently more than 9% glacierized are predicted to show noticeable changes after peak water, with the possibility of discharge decreasing by a factor of 3 to 5 by the time glaciers have retreated to a point when their hydrological influence at the watershed scale becomes insignificant. , Key Points Noticeable acceleration of glacier retreat occurred in southwestern Yukon since 1999 with measured consequences for the regional hydrology Various hydrological changes have been detected at the study watersheds. Glacier retreat explains many but not all of those changes Long‐term hydrological changes are glacier cover dependent while decadal‐scale changes are driven by glacier retreat rate
Keywords: Baraer_Michel

Evaluating Glacier Volume Changes since the Little Ice Age Maximum and Consequences for Stream Flow by Integrating Models of Glacier Flow and Hydrology in the Cordillera Blanca, Peruvian Andes - Huh, Kyung In; Baraër, Michel; Mark, Bryan G.; Ahn, Yushin (Water, 2018)
Evaluating the historical contribution of the volume loss of ice to stream flow based on reconstructed volume changes through the Little Ice Age (LIA) can be directly related to the understanding of glacier-hydrology in the current epoch of rapid glacier loss that has disquieting implications for a water resource in the Cordillera Blanca in the Peruvian Andes. However, the accurate prediction of the future glacial meltwater availability for the developing regional Andean society needs more extensive quantitative estimation from long-term glacial meltwater of reconstructed glacial volume. Modeling the LIA paleoglaciers through the mid-19th century (with the most extensive recent period of mountain glacier expansion having occurred around 1850 AD) in different catchments of the Cordillera Blanca allows us to reconstruct glacier volume and its change from likely combinations of climatic control variables and time. We computed the rate and magnitude of centennial-scale glacier volume changes for glacier surfaces between the LIA and the modern era, as defined by 2011 Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Global Digital Elevation Model Version 2 (GDEM V2) and 2008 Light Detection and Range (LiDAR) data. The model simulation showed good agreement with the observed geomorphic data and the volume and surface area (V-S) scaling remained within the 25% error range in the reconstructed simulation. Also, we employed a recently demonstrated approach (Baraër, M. et al.) to calculate meltwater contribution to glacierized catchment runoff. The results revealed multiple peaks of both mean annual and dry season discharge that have never been shown in previous research on the same mountain range.
Keywords: Baraer_Michel

A review of the current state of knowledge of proglacial hydrogeology in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru - Glas, Robin; Lautz, Laura; McKenzie, Jeffrey; Mark, Bryan; Baraer, Michel; Chavez, Daniel; Maharaj, Laura (WIREs Water, 2018)
The rapidly melting glaciers of Peru are posing new risks to regional dry season water supplies, and this is evident in the Cordillera Blanca, the mountain range with the world's largest concentration of tropical glaciers. Permanent ice loss is causing reductions to dry season streamflow, which is coupled with shifting demands and control over water access and entitlements in the region. A full evaluation of hydrologic inputs is required to inform future water management in the relative absence of glaciers. Over the last decade, new studies have shown groundwater to be a significant component of the regional water budget during the dry season, and it cannot be ignored when accounting for water quality and quantity downstream of the Cordillera Blanca's alpine catchments. Distinctive common features of the Cordillera Blanca's proglacial catchments are sediment‐filled valleys that were once under proglacial lake conditions. The combination of lake sediments with other alpine depositional features results in storage and interseasonal release of groundwater that comprises up to 80% of the valley's streamflow during the driest months of the year. We summarize the emerging understanding of hydrogeologic processes in proglacial headwater systems of the region's principal river, the Rio Santa, and make suggestions for future research that will more clearly characterize the spatial distribution of stored groundwater within the mountain range. As glaciers continue to recede, differences in aquifer thickness and groundwater residence time between alpine catchments in the region will increasingly control dry season water availability at the local and basin scale. This article is categorized under: Science of Water > Hydrological Processes Science of Water > Water and Environmental Change Engineering Water > Planning Water
Keywords: Baraer_Michel

Targeting high robustness in snowpack modeling for Nordic hydrological applications in limited data conditions - Mas, Alexandre; Baraer, Michel; Arsenault, Richard; Poulin, Annie; Préfontaine, Jonathan (Journal of Hydrology, 2018)
Keywords: Baraer_Michel

Using ground-based thermal imagery to estimate debris thickness over glacial ice: fieldwork considerations to improve the effectiveness - Aubry-Wake, Caroline; Lamontagne-Hallé, Pierrick; Baraër, Michel; McKenzie, Jeffrey M.; Pomeroy, John W. (Journal of Glaciology, 2023)
Abstract Debris-covered glaciers are an important component of the mountain cryosphere and influence the hydrological contribution of glacierized basins to downstream rivers. This study examines the potential to make estimates of debris thickness, a critical variable to calculate the sub-debris melt, using ground-based thermal infrared radiometry (TIR) images. Over four days in August 2019, a ground-based, time-lapse TIR digital imaging radiometer recorded sequential thermal imagery of a debris-covered region of Peyto Glacier, Canadian Rockies, in conjunction with 44 manual excavations of debris thickness ranging from 10 to 110 cm, and concurrent meteorological observations. Inferring the correlation between measured debris thickness and TIR surface temperature as a base, the effectiveness of linear and exponential regression models for debris thickness estimation from surface temperature was explored. Optimal model performance ( R 2 of 0.7, RMSE of 10.3 cm) was obtained with a linear model applied to measurements taken on clear nights just before sunrise, but strong model performances were also obtained under complete cloud cover during daytime or nighttime with an exponential model. This work presents insights into the use of surface temperature and TIR observations to estimate debris thickness and gain knowledge of the state of debris-covered glacial ice and its potential hydrological contribution.
Keywords: Baraer_Michel

Effect of odor treatment systems on bioaerosol microbial concentration and diversity from wastewater treatment plants - Ouradou, A.; Veillette, M.; Bélanger Cayouette, A.; Corbin, S.; Boulanger, C.; Dorner, S.; Duchaine, C.; Bédard, E. (Science of The Total Environment, 2023)
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Impact of Hydrometeorological Events for the Selection of Parametric Models for Protozoan Pathogens in Drinking‐Water Sources - Sylvestre, Émile; Burnet, Jean‐Baptiste; Dorner, Sarah; Smeets, Patrick; Medema, Gertjan; Villion, Manuela; Hachad, Mounia; Prévost, Michèle (Risk Analysis, 2021)
Abstract Temporal variations in concentrations of pathogenic microorganisms in surface waters are well known to be influenced by hydrometeorological events. Reasonable methods for accounting for microbial peaks in the quantification of drinking water treatment requirements need to be addressed. Here, we applied a novel method for data collection and model validation to explicitly account for weather events (rainfall, snowmelt) when concentrations of pathogens are estimated in source water. Online in situ β ‐ d ‐glucuronidase activity measurements were used to trigger sequential grab sampling of source water to quantify Cryptosporidium and Giardia concentrations during rainfall and snowmelt events at an urban and an agricultural drinking water treatment plant in Quebec, Canada. We then evaluate if mixed Poisson distributions fitted to monthly sampling data ( = 30 samples) could accurately predict daily mean concentrations during these events. We found that using the gamma distribution underestimated high Cryptosporidium and Giardia concentrations measured with routine or event‐based monitoring. However, the log‐normal distribution accurately predicted these high concentrations. The selection of a log‐normal distribution in preference to a gamma distribution increased the annual mean concentration by less than 0.1‐log but increased the upper bound of the 95% credibility interval on the annual mean by about 0.5‐log. Therefore, considering parametric uncertainty in an exposure assessment is essential to account for microbial peaks in risk assessment.
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Changes in Escherichia coli to enteric protozoa ratios in rivers: Implications for risk-based assessment of drinking water treatment requirements - Sylvestre, Émile; Dorner, Sarah; Burnet, Jean-Baptiste; Smeets, Patrick; Medema, Gertjan; Cantin, Philippe; Villion, Manuela; Robert, Caroline; Ellis, Donald; Servais, Pierre; Prévost, Michèle (Water Research, 2021)
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Demonstrating the reduction of enteric viruses by drinking water treatment during snowmelt episodes in urban areas - Sylvestre, Émile; Prévost, Michèle; Burnet, Jean-Baptiste; Pang, Xiaoli; Qiu, Yuanyuan; Smeets, Patrick; Medema, Gertjan; Hachad, Mounia; Dorner, Sarah (Water Research X, 2021)
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Using surrogate data to assess risks associated with microbial peak events in source water at drinking water treatment plants - Sylvestre, Émile; Prévost, Michèle; Burnet, Jean-Baptiste; Smeets, Patrick; Medema, Gertjan; Hachad, Mounia; Dorner, Sarah (Water Research, 2021)
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Impact of vacuum UV on natural and algal organic matter from cyanobacterial impacted waters - Visentin, Flavia; Bhartia, Siddharth; Mohseni, Madjid; Peldszus, Sigrid; Dorner, Sarah; Barbeau, Benoit (Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, 2020)
Cyanobacterial bloom events produce toxins and taste and odor issues, disturbing drinkable water quality. Vacuum UV (VUV) is a promising advanced oxidation process used to treat impacted water, with potential applicability in small and remote communities. , Cyanobacterial blooms are a growing concern around the world. A feasible approach for small treatment plants fed by sources contaminated with cyanobacteria is vacuum UV (VUV). VUV is a promising advanced oxidation process used to treat water impacted by cyanobacterial blooms, with potential applicability in small and remote communities because of its simplicity. In this work, water samples from three Canadian lakes periodically affected by cyanobacteria were used to assess the impact of natural and algal organic matter (NOM/AOM) on treatment with VUV. NOM and AOM were characterized before and after VUV treatment by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and fluorescence emission–excitation matrix (FEEM). FEEM spectra were analyzed with the parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) tool. As a result, we found seven principal components describing the whole dataset. Disinfection by-product (DBP) formation after VUV treatment was analyzed and trihalomethanes (THM) yield was calculated. THM yield increased by 15–20% after VUV treatment. Regarding DBP formation and NOM/AOM fractions from SEC, we found that humic substances are the most important fraction causing the increase in DBP formation with at least 3 times higher yield than the other fractions: biopolymers, building blocks, low weight molecular acids and neutrals.
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Assessing microbial risk through event-based pathogen loading and hydrodynamic modelling - Tolouei, Samira; Dewey, Ray; Snodgrass, William J.; Edge, Thomas A.; Andrews, Robert C.; Taghipour, Milad; Prévost, Michèle; Dorner, Sarah (Science of The Total Environment, 2019)
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Seasonal variations of steroid hormones released by wastewater treatment plants to river water and sediments: Distribution between particulate and dissolved phases - Yarahmadi, Hadis; Duy, Sung Vo; Hachad, Mounia; Dorner, Sarah; Sauvé, Sébastien; Prévost, Michèle (Science of The Total Environment, 2018)
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Evidence-based framework to use in situ phycocyanin readings for cyanobacterial risk assessment within drinking water treatment plants - Ma, Liya; Dorner, Sarah; Prévost, Michèle (Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, 2024)
A framework is proposed using multi-stream phycocyanin probe readings to manage cyanobacterial risks at the source water and across the drinking water treatment processes. , In situ phycocyanin (PC) probes have been deployed as a cost-effective and efficient way to monitor cyanobacterial (CB) abundance in drinking water sources and to identify periods of potential risk at drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs). Monitoring CB removal efficacies in near real-time by sequentially using a single probe for multiple streams across the treatment plant provides a more useful assessment of CB risk breakthrough in treated water. Removal efficacies were measured in three DWTPs using integrated mass fluxes estimated from PC readings and grab sample total CB biovolume estimations in raw, clarified, filtered, and treated water. Selective CB species removal during the treatment processes was also evaluated. In addition, relationships between physio-chemical parameters (turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, chlorophyll-a and temperature) and PC across the treatment processes were investigated. Finally, a framework to use in situ multi-stream PC monitoring, gathering data across the treatment chain, is proposed to manage risks of CB cells breakthrough in treated water. Estimates of 2 hour moving average PC metrics are proposed to provide short term alert in raw water and establish periods of treatment vulnerability or dysfunction, while daily mean PC values can be used to estimate total and process specific log removals to justify treatment adjustments. Benefits and limitations of the tested in situ probes for the application of alert levels are discussed, and key knowledge gaps for future research and guidance are identified.
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Comparative study of deterministic and probabilistic assessments of microbial risk associated with combined sewer overflows upstream of drinking water intakes - Kammoun, Raja; McQuaid, Natasha; Lessard, Vincent; Prévost, Michèle; Bichai, Françoise; Dorner, Sarah (Environmental Challenges, 2023)
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Monitoring of cyanobacterial breakthrough and accumulation by in situ phycocyanin probe system within full-scale treatment plants - Ma, Liya; Maldonado, Juan Francisco Guerra; Zamyadi, Arash; Dorner, Sarah; Prévost, Michèle (Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2023)
Abstract Worldwide, there has been an increase in the presence of potentially toxic cyanobacterial blooms in drinking water sources and within drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs). The objective of this study is to validate the use of in situ probes for the detection and management of cyanobacterial breakthrough in high and low-risk DWTPs. In situ phycocyanin YSI EXO2 probes were devised for remote control and data logging to monitor the cyanobacteria in raw, clarified, filtered, and treated water in three full-scale DWTPs. An additional probe was installed inside the sludge holding tank to measure the water quality of the surface of the sludge storage tank in a high-risk DWTP. Simultaneous grab samplings were carried out for taxonomic cell counts and toxin analysis. A total of 23, 9, and 4 field visits were conducted at the three DWTPs. Phycocyanin readings showed a 93-fold fluctuation within 24 h in the raw water of the high cyanobacterial risk plant, with higher phycocyanin levels during the afternoon period. These data provide new information on the limitations of weekly or daily grab sampling. Also, different moving averages for the phycocyanin probe readings can be used to improve the interpretation of phycocyanin signal trends. The in situ probe successfully detected high cyanobacterial biovolumes entering the clarification process in the high-risk plant. Grab sampling results revealed high cyanobacterial biovolumes in the sludge for both high and low-risk plants.
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Factors Affecting the Interpretation of Online Phycocyanin Fluorescence to Manage Cyanobacteria in Drinking Water Sources - Ma, Liya; Moradinejad, Saber; Guerra Maldonado, Juan Francisco; Zamyadi, Arash; Dorner, Sarah; Prévost, Michèle (Water, 2022)
Recently, in situ YSI EXO2 phycocyanin fluorescence probes have been widely deployed as a means to determine cyanobacterial abundance in drinking water sources, yet few studies have evaluated the effects of natural organic matter (NOM) and the ambient water temperature on the probe readings. In this study, Suwannee River NOM was added to laboratory cultivated cyanobacterial species to test the performance of the phycocyanin probe. The impact of temperature on phycocyanin fluorescence was evaluated by monitoring the laboratory cultivated cyanobacterial species and extracted phycocyanin pigment. Additionally, in situ phycocyanin fluorescence of the field samples from the water intake of a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) in 2018 were compared with grab sample laboratory taxonomic analyses. We found: (1) the presence of Suwannee River NOM leads to the decrease in cell-bound cyanobacterial phycocyanin readings; (2) increasing ambient water temperature reduces dissolved and cell-bound cyanobacterial phycocyanin readings; (3) field study phycocyanin probe readings significantly correlated with the total cyanobacterial biovolume (R = 0.73, p < 0.1), and the relationship depends on the biovolume of dominant cyanobacterial species; (4) phycocyanin probe readings have a strong positive correlation with the natural light intensities; and (5) probe users should be fully aware of the sources of interferences when interpreting the results and apply the other physical-chemical parameters data simultaneously generated by the fluorometry to improve the probe’s measurements.
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Impact of Stagnation on the Diversity of Cyanobacteria in Drinking Water Treatment Plant Sludge - Jalili, Farhad; Trigui, Hana; Maldonado, Juan Francisco Guerra; Dorner, Sarah; Zamyadi, Arash; Shapiro, B. Jesse; Terrat, Yves; Fortin, Nathalie; Sauvé, Sébastien; Prévost, Michèle (Toxins, 2022)
Health-related concerns about cyanobacteria-laden sludge of drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) have been raised in the past few years. Microscopic taxonomy, shotgun metagenomic sequencing, and microcystin (MC) measurement were applied to study the fate of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins after controlled sludge storage (stagnation) in the dark in a full-scale drinking water treatment plant within 7 to 38 days. For four out of eight dates, cyanobacterial cell growth was observed by total taxonomic cell counts during sludge stagnation. The highest observed cell growth was 96% after 16 days of stagnation. Cell growth was dominated by potential MC producers such as Microcystis, Aphanocapsa, Chroococcus, and Dolichospermum. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing unveiled that stagnation stress shifts the cyanobacterial communities from the stress-sensitive Nostocales (e.g., Dolichospermum) order towards less compromised orders and potential MC producers such as Chroococcales (e.g., Microcystis) and Synechococcales (e.g., Synechococcus). The relative increase of cyanotoxin producers presents a health challenge when the supernatant of the stored sludge is recycled to the head of the DWTP or discharged into the source. These findings emphasize the importance of a strategy to manage cyanobacteria-laden sludge and suggest practical approaches should be adopted to control health/environmental impacts of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in sludge.
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Shotgun Metagenomic Sequencing to Assess Cyanobacterial Community Composition following Coagulation of Cyanobacterial Blooms - Le, Kim Thien Nguyen; Maldonado, Juan Francisco Guerra; Goitom, Eyerusalem; Trigui, Hana; Terrat, Yves; Nguyen, Thanh-Luan; Husk, Barry; Shapiro, B. Jesse; Sauvé, Sébastien; Prévost, Michèle; Dorner, Sarah (Toxins, 2022)
The excessive proliferation of cyanobacteria in surface waters is a widespread problem worldwide, leading to the contamination of drinking water sources. Short- and long-term solutions for managing cyanobacterial blooms are needed for drinking water supplies. The goal of this research was to investigate the cyanobacteria community composition using shotgun metagenomics in a short term, in situ mesocosm experiment of two lakes following their coagulation with ferric sulfate (Fe2(SO4)3) as an option for source water treatment. Among the nutrient paramenters, dissolved nitrogen was related to Microcystis in both Missisquoi Bay and Petit Lac St. François, while the presence of Synechococcus was related to total nitrogen, dissolved nitrogen, dissolved organic carbon, and dissolved phosphorus. Results from the shotgun metagenomic sequencing showed that Dolichospermum and Microcystis were the dominant genera in all of the mesocosms in the beginning of the sampling period in Missisquoi Bay and Petit Lac St. François, respectively. Potentially toxigenic genera such as Microcystis were correlated with intracellular microcystin concentrations. A principal component analysis showed that there was a change of the cyanobacterial composition at the genus level in the mesocosms after two days, which varied across the studied sites and sampling time. The cyanobacterial community richness and diversity did not change significantly after its coagulation by Fe2(SO4)3 in all of the mesocosms at either site. The use of Fe2(SO4)3 for an onsite source water treatment should consider its impact on cyanobacterial community structure and the reduction of toxin concentrations.
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Evidence-Based Framework to Manage Cyanobacteria and Cyanotoxins in Water and Sludge from Drinking Water Treatment Plants - Jalili, Farhad; Moradinejad, Saber; Zamyadi, Arash; Dorner, Sarah; Sauvé, Sébastien; Prévost, Michèle (Toxins, 2022)
Freshwater bodies and, consequently, drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) sources are increasingly facing toxic cyanobacterial blooms. Even though conventional treatment processes including coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, and filtration can control cyanobacteria and cell-bound cyanotoxins, these processes may encounter challenges such as inefficient removal of dissolved metabolites and cyanobacterial cell breakthrough. Furthermore, conventional treatment processes may lead to the accumulation of cyanobacteria cells and cyanotoxins in sludge. Pre-oxidation can enhance coagulation efficiency as it provides the first barrier against cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins and it decreases cell accumulation in DWTP sludge. This critical review aims to: (i) evaluate the state of the science of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxin management throughout DWTPs, as well as their associated sludge, and (ii) develop a decision framework to manage cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in DWTPs and sludge. The review identified that lab-cultured-based pre-oxidation studies may not represent the real bloom pre-oxidation efficacy. Moreover, the application of a common exposure unit CT (residual concentration × contact time) provides a proper understanding of cyanobacteria pre-oxidation efficiency. Recently, reported challenges on cyanobacterial survival and growth in sludge alongside the cell lysis and cyanotoxin release raised health and technical concerns with regards to sludge storage and sludge supernatant recycling to the head of DWTPs. According to the review, oxidation has not been identified as a feasible option to handle cyanobacterial-laden sludge due to low cell and cyanotoxin removal efficacy. Based on the reviewed literature, a decision framework is proposed to manage cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins and their associated sludge in DWTPs.
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Oxidation to Control Cyanobacteria and Cyanotoxins in Drinking Water Treatment Plants: Challenges at the Laboratory and Full-Scale Plants - Jalili, Farhad; Trigui, Hana; Maldonado, Juan Francisco Guerra; Dorner, Sarah; Zamyadi, Arash; Shapiro, B. Jesse; Terrat, Yves; Fortin, Nathalie; Sauvé, Sébastien; Prévost, Michèle (Water, 2022)
The impact of oxidation on mitigation of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in drinking water treatment sludge was investigated at the laboratory and treatment plant scales. Two common oxidants, KMnO4 (5 and 10 mg/L) and H2O2 (10 and 20 mg/L) were applied under controlled steady-state conditions. Non-oxidized and oxidized sludge was left to stagnate in the dark for 7 to 38 days. Controlled laboratory trials show that KMnO4 and H2O2 decreased cell counts up to 62% and 77%, respectively. The maximum total MC level reduction achieved after oxidation was 41% and 98% using 20 mg/L H2O2 and 10 mg/L KMnO4, respectively. Stagnation caused cell growth up to 2.6-fold in 8 out of 22 oxidized samples. Microcystin (MC) producer orders as Chroococcales and Synechococcales were persistent while Nostocales was sensitive to combined oxidation and stagnation stresses. In parallel, two on-site shock oxidation treatments were performed in the DWTP’s sludge holding tank using 10 mg/L KMnO4. On-site shock oxidation decreased taxonomic cell counts by up to 43% within 24 h. Stagnation preceded by on-site shock oxidation could increase total cell counts by up to 55% as compared to oxidation alone. The increase of cell counts and mcyD gene copy numbers during stagnation revealed the impact of oxidation/stagnation on cyanobacterial cell growth. These findings show the limitations of sludge oxidation as a strategy to manage cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in sludge and suggest that alternative approaches to prevent the accumulation and mitigation of cyanobacteria in sludge should be considered.
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Can Cyanobacterial Diversity in the Source Predict the Diversity in Sludge and the Risk of Toxin Release in a Drinking Water Treatment Plant? - Jalili, Farhad; Trigui, Hana; Guerra Maldonado, Juan Francisco; Dorner, Sarah; Zamyadi, Arash; Shapiro, B. Jesse; Terrat, Yves; Fortin, Nathalie; Sauvé, Sébastien; Prévost, Michèle (Toxins, 2021)
Conventional processes (coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, and filtration) are widely used in drinking water treatment plants and are considered a good treatment strategy to eliminate cyanobacterial cells and cell-bound cyanotoxins. The diversity of cyanobacteria was investigated using taxonomic cell counts and shotgun metagenomics over two seasons in a drinking water treatment plant before, during, and after the bloom. Changes in the community structure over time at the phylum, genus, and species levels were monitored in samples retrieved from raw water (RW), sludge in the holding tank (ST), and sludge supernatant (SST). Aphanothece clathrata brevis, Microcystis aeruginosa, Dolichospermum spiroides, and Chroococcus minimus were predominant species detected in RW by taxonomic cell counts. Shotgun metagenomics revealed that Proteobacteria was the predominant phylum in RW before and after the cyanobacterial bloom. Taxonomic cell counts and shotgun metagenomic showed that the Dolichospermum bloom occurred inside the plant. Cyanobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the major bacterial phyla during the bloom. Shotgun metagenomics also showed that Synechococcus, Microcystis, and Dolichospermum were the predominant detected cyanobacterial genera in the samples. Conventional treatment removed more than 92% of cyanobacterial cells but led to cell accumulation in the sludge up to 31 times more than in the RW influx. Coagulation/sedimentation selectively removed more than 96% of Microcystis and Dolichospermum. Cyanobacterial community in the sludge varied from raw water to sludge during sludge storage (1–13 days). This variation was due to the selective removal of coagulation/sedimentation as well as the accumulation of captured cells over the period of storage time. However, the prediction of the cyanobacterial community composition in the SST remained a challenge. Among nutrient parameters, orthophosphate availability was related to community profile in RW samples, whereas communities in ST were influenced by total nitrogen, Kjeldahl nitrogen (N- Kjeldahl), total and particulate phosphorous, and total organic carbon (TOC). No trend was observed on the impact of nutrients on SST communities. This study profiled new health-related, environmental, and technical challenges for the production of drinking water due to the complex fate of cyanobacteria in cyanobacteria-laden sludge and supernatant.
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Fecal contamination of storm sewers: Evaluating wastewater micropollutants, human-specific Bacteroides 16S rRNA, and mitochondrial DNA genetic markers as alternative indicators of sewer cross connections - Hajj-Mohamad, Mariam; Hachad, Mounia; Deschamps, Guy; Sauvé, Sébastien; Villemur, Richard; Blais, Marc-André; Prévost, Michèle; Dorner, Sarah (Science of The Total Environment, 2019)
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

β-D-glucuronidase activity triggered monitoring of fecal contamination using microbial and chemical source tracking markers at drinking water intakes - Hachad, Mounia; Burnet, Jean-Baptiste; Sylvestre, Émile; Duy, Sung Vo; Villemur, Richard; Sauvé, Sébastien; Prévost, Michèle; Qiu, Judy Y.; Pang, Xiaoli; Dorner, Sarah (Water Research, 2024)
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Occurrence and partitioning behavior of E. coli and wastewater micropollutants following rainfall events - Hachad, Mounia; Yarahmadi, Hadis; Vo Duy, Sung; Sauvé, Sébastien; Prévost, Michèle; Dorner, Sarah (Resources, Environment and Sustainability, 2022)
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Automated Targeted Sampling of Waterborne Pathogens and Microbial Source Tracking Markers Using Near-Real Time Monitoring of Microbiological Water Quality - Burnet, Jean-Baptiste; Habash, Marc; Hachad, Mounia; Khanafer, Zeinab; Prévost, Michèle; Servais, Pierre; Sylvestre, Emile; Dorner, Sarah (Water, 2021)
Waterborne pathogens are heterogeneously distributed across various spatiotemporal scales in water resources, and representative sampling is therefore crucial for accurate risk assessment. Since regulatory monitoring of microbiological water quality is usually conducted at fixed time intervals, it can miss short-term fecal contamination episodes and underestimate underlying microbial risks. In the present paper, we developed a new automated sampling methodology based on near real-time measurement of a biochemical indicator of fecal pollution. Online monitoring of β-D-glucuronidase (GLUC) activity was used to trigger an automated sampler during fecal contamination events in a drinking water supply and at an urban beach. Significant increases in protozoan parasites, microbial source tracking markers and E. coli were measured during short-term (<24 h) fecal pollution episodes, emphasizing the intermittent nature of their occurrence in water. Synchronous triggering of the automated sampler with online GLUC activity measurements further revealed a tight association between the biochemical indicator and culturable E. coli. The proposed event sampling methodology is versatile and in addition to the two triggering modes validated here, others can be designed based on specific needs and local settings. In support to regulatory monitoring schemes, it should ultimately help gathering crucial data on waterborne pathogens more efficiently during episodic fecal pollution events.
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Near real-time notification of water quality impairments in recreational freshwaters using rapid online detection of β-D-glucuronidase activity as a surrogate for Escherichia coli monitoring - Cazals, Margot; Stott, Rebecca; Fleury, Carole; Proulx, François; Prévost, Michèle; Servais, Pierre; Dorner, Sarah; Burnet, Jean-Baptiste (Science of The Total Environment, 2020)
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Autonomous online measurement of β-D-glucuronidase activity in surface water: is it suitable for rapid E. coli monitoring? - Burnet, Jean-Baptiste; Dinh, Quoc Tuc; Imbeault, Sandra; Servais, Pierre; Dorner, Sarah; Prévost, Michèle (Water Research, 2019)
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

Tracking the contribution of multiple raw and treated wastewater discharges at an urban drinking water supply using near real-time monitoring of β-d-glucuronidase activity - Burnet, Jean-Baptiste; Sylvestre, Émile; Jalbert, Jonathan; Imbeault, Sandra; Servais, Pierre; Prévost, Michèle; Dorner, Sarah (Water Research, 2019)
Keywords: Dorner_Sarah

RELIER LES INDIVIDUS À LEUR COMMUNAUTÉ D’APPARTENANCE : vers un modèle intégré de personnalisation des services qui tient compte des besoins individuels et communautaires - Roy, Mathieu; Généreux, Mélissa (Canadian Social Work Review / Revue canadienne de service social, 2018)
La personnalisation des services est de plus en plus populaire dans le réseau de la santé et des services sociaux. Plutôt que de piger parmi des offres de services existantes, l’usager coconstruit des services selon ses besoins. Or, malgré les avancées dans ce domaine, peu d’approches de personnalisation des services existent pour répondre aux besoins des communautés. Dans ce texte, nous souhaitons contribuer au champ de la personnalisation des services en l’enrichissant d’une perspective communautaire. Vers cet objectif, nous recensons diverses approches employées en santé publique qui tiennent compte des besoins spécifiques des communautés. Nous déclinons ces approches au moyen d’interventions locales pour illustrer comment elles contribuent au développement d’une perspective communautaire à superposer au modèle actuel de personnalisation des services. Nous soutenons que la fonction promotion de la santé en santé publique permet de relier les individus à leur communauté d’appartenance au sein d’un modèle unique de personnalisation des services. Nous pensons que ce modèle intégré de personnalisation des services permettra d’une part, la coproduction de services individuels et communautaires et d’autre part, qu’il favorisera le rapprochement des acteurs des domaines de la santé publique et des services sociaux autour d’un projet commun de développement de communautés productrices de bien-être.
Keywords: Généreux_Mélissa

Pour une défense collective face à la fatigue pandémique: L’urgence de renforcer les facteurs protecteurs - Généreux, Mélissa; Blouin-Genest, Gabriel; Landaverde, Elsa; Torres Orozco, Et Natalia (Global Health Promotion, 2024)
Résumé: De nombreux articles publiés récemment ont laissé apparaître l’émergence d’un nouveau phénomène dans notre rapport avec la pandémie de COVID-19 : la fatigue pandémique. Ce phénomène suggère l’apparition d’une tendance générale de lassitude face aux mesures sanitaires et à l’état d’urgence devenu permanent. L’objectif de cet article est de replacer cet enjeu dans le contexte de la réalisation d’un projet de recherche portant sur les impacts psychosociaux durant la pandémie. Si relativement peu de recherches se sont intéressées à la fatigue pandémique, la réalité de ce phénomène a été mise en évidence dans le cadre d’un projet de recherche multi-annuelle effectuée durant la pandémie. En termes de méthode, notre équipe multidisciplinaire à l’Université de Sherbrooke a développé un protocole d’enquête permettant d’évaluer les effets de la pandémie de COVID-19 sur la santé mentale à travers des études transversales répétées. La dernière phase de l’enquête inclut un volet additionnel qui cherche à comprendre de quelle manière les conséquences de la pandémie peuvent s’appliquer à d’autres crises systémiques, notamment aux changements climatiques. Différentes vagues d'enquêtes nationales et internationales ont ainsi été réalisées (8 pays, taille minimale de l’échantillon 1000–1500 et échantillonnage par quota mis en oeuvre adapté à chaque pays et basé sur les données démographiques disponibles), et suivant l’évolution de la pandémie, nous avons introduit la notion de fatigue pandémique, ainsi que de fatigue climatique, afin de pouvoir mesurer l’impact de l’exposition prolongée à ces crises mondiales. Ces nouvelles données confirment nos résultats originaux : l’impact psychosocial de la pandémie est immense, en particulier en termes de fatigue pandémique, phénomène qui se retrouve à la fois au niveau comportemental et informationnel. Cette fatigue est un indicateur important à considérer afin d’améliorer notre capacité de réaction et d’adaptation à cette crise, mais également à celles futures.
Keywords: Généreux_Mélissa

Visual assessment of tree vigour in Canadian northern hardwood forests: The need for a simplified system - Moreau, Guillaume; Cecil-Cockwell, Malcolm J.L.; Pothier, David; Achim, Alexis; Bédard, Steve; Guillemette, François; Caspersen, John (Forest Ecology and Management, 2023)
Keywords: Guillemette_Francois

Sapling growth dynamics after partial cutting in temperate mixedwood stands - Power, Hugues; Auger, Isabelle; Guillemette, François; Raymond, Patricia; Dumais, Daniel (Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 2022)
The temperate mixedwood forests of eastern North America have been managed by partial cutting for several decades. To ensure that regeneration contributes to replacing the commercial-size stems that are removed by partial cutting, forest managers need to anticipate how saplings (i.e., regenerating trees with a diameter at breast height >1.0 cm) develop in terms of number and diameter. Using up to 20 years of monitoring data from three study sites, we developed a transition matrix model to predict the future number of saplings and their diameter distribution for mixed yellow birch ( Betula alleghaniensis Britton) – conifer stands. Our results show that partial cutting allowed yellow birch, red maple ( Acer rubrum L.), red spruce ( Picea rubens Sarg.), and balsam fir ( Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) saplings to reach merchantable size faster and in greater numbers than in untreated control plots. We also found that fewer hardwood saplings (yellow birch and red maple) than softwood saplings (red spruce and balsam fir) were required to produce 1 m 2 ·ha −1 of merchantable basal area after 20–40 years. Finally, our model provides a tool for forest managers to predict sapling development in mixed hardwood and softwood stands over a full cutting cycle.
Keywords: Guillemette_Francois

Simplified tree marking guidelines enhance value recovery as well as stand vigour in northern hardwood forests under selection management - Moreau, Guillaume; Chagnon, Catherine; Cecil-Cockwell, Malcolm J L; Pothier, David; Achim, Alexis; Bédard, Steve; Guillemette, François; Caspersen, John (Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research, 2024)
Abstract In northern hardwood forests, tree markers select the trees to be harvested during logging operations using classification systems that assign harvest priorities based on the presence of a wide range of individual defects. According to the most recent advances in our understanding of the impact of defects on both tree vigour (the risk of mortality or decline in growth) and quality (the potential for recovering valuable sawlogs), tree markers should adopt a simpler classification system that considers fewer defects than the current operational practice, and they should prioritize the removal of trees with crown dieback. Since the probability of developing defects and dying increases substantially with tree diameter, tree markers should also favour the removal of larger trees that have maintained their quality. However, these recommendations were developed based on tree-level analyses. To provide further validation at the stand scale, we compared stand improvement and value recovery under three tree marking regimes: a new, simplified regime based on the recommendations above, and two regimes used in the province of Quebec, Canada. To do so, we conducted tree marking simulations and value recovery assessments in 14 managed stands distributed across the northern hardwood range of Quebec. Our results confirmed that the simplified tree marking regime not only facilitated stand improvement by removing a greater proportion of low-vigour trees, but also recovered significantly more value (17% on average) at the stand scale. By prioritizing the removal of trees with crown dieback, the simplified regime was superior at salvaging the current value of low-vigour trees before they die or decline in quality. Based on our results, we propose simplified and empirically-validated tree marking guidelines for northern hardwood forests.
Keywords: Guillemette_Francois

Quantifying the Probability of Decline in Quality: Implications for Selection Management in Northern Hardwood Forests - Moreau, Guillaume; Cecil-Cockwell, Malcolm J. L.; Achim, Alexis; Bédard, Steve; Guillemette, François; Caspersen, John (Forests, 2023)
Northern hardwoods are susceptible to a wide range of defects that can reduce the amount of sound wood with desirable qualities, such as the clear sapwood of sugar maple trees. Yet, the rate at which trees decline in quality due to the development of such defects has never been quantified in northern hardwood forests due to a dearth of repeat inventories that record the appearance of defects over time. As a result, it remains uncertain whether, and how, selection management reduces the probability of decline in quality. In this study, we quantify the rate at which trees decline in quality due to the development of defects, and we test several hypotheses regarding the influence of selection management on quality. Our results show that (1) the probability of decline in quality increases as trees grow larger; (2) crown dieback also increases the probability of decline in quality; (3) the probability of decline in quality is slightly lower in managed stands than in unmanaged stands, and (4) the probability of decline in quality increases with the mean annual temperature of the site. Finally, we combined our estimates of the probability of decline in quality with previous estimates of the probability of mortality to assess the overall risk associated with retaining trees of different species, sizes, and vigour profiles. The resulting metric can inform efforts to improve the management of northern hardwood forests by providing an integrated estimate of the risk that the value of a tree will be reduced, or eliminated, due to mortality or decline in quality.
Keywords: Guillemette_Francois

How many plots are needed to estimate sapling density and stocking in temperate forests? - Guillemette, François; Lambert, Marie-Claude; Power, Hugues; Raymond, Patricia (The Forestry Chronicle, 2023)
Performing a complete silvicultural diagnosis before a silvicultural treatment generally requires assessing the state of regeneration with the help of an inventory by sampling, particularly for stands dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) or yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.), in which partial cuts are recommended. This inventory may then be compared to the standard or used in a growth model for saplings (trees for which the diameter measured at 1.3 m above the ground (DBH) varies from 1.1 cm to 9.0 cm). Some of these tools are based on sapling density, while others are based on the stocking of the saplings or on the stocking of total regeneration (combining saplings and seedlings with a DBH ≤ 1.0 cm). We assessed the number of plots required to estimate the density and the stocking of saplings with a given margin of error in 28 stands. The results show that more plots are required than usual in practice to inventory sapling density. The stocking is much easier to estimate precisely.
Keywords: Guillemette_Francois

Assessing Post-Harvest Regeneration in Northern Hardwood and Mixedwood Stands: Evolution of Species Composition and Dominance within 15-Year-Old Group Selection and Patch Cutting - Bilodeau-Gauthier, Simon; Bédard, Steve; Guillemette, François (Forests, 2020)
Multi-cohort forest management in northern hardwood stands may well be the best way to successfully regenerate tree species of intermediate shade tolerance, such as yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.). The creation of large enough gaps in the canopy favors increased light availability within the opening, while soil scarification provides suitable germination seedbeds. Evidence of these methods’ success nonetheless remains mostly the purview of experimental studies rather than operational tests. In Quebec, Canada, the multi-cohort methods promoted include group selection cutting and patch cutting. The present study tested their implementation at an operational scale and over a large territory in both hardwood-dominated and mixedwood stands. We assessed their efficacy in promoting natural regeneration of commercial hardwood trees, notably yellow birch and sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.). We conducted regeneration surveys at 2, 5, 10, and 15 years after harvest. Overall, group selection and patch cuttings were successful in regenerating the target species. Yellow birch, for instance, showed a mean stocking around 60% and a mean sapling density around 3400 stems ha−1 after 15 years. We compared several variables for measuring regeneration in early years, and found that the relative abundance, the stocking based on one stem per sampling unit, and the mean maximum height were good predictors of the relative presence of yellow birch and sugar maple in 15-year-old canopy openings. Using smaller sampling units (6.25 m2 rather than 25 m2) and waiting until year 5 may be more useful for making such predictions. In addition, there was an important turnover in vertical dominance in these openings. Non-commercial woody competitors were frequently dominant in early years but were often replaced by commercial hardwoods, notably yellow birch. We propose certain thresholds for assessing the success of post-harvest regeneration and for evaluating the need for a cleaning treatment.
Keywords: Guillemette_Francois

Changes in growth dominance after partial cuts in even- and uneven-aged northern hardwood stands - Lemire, Caroline; Bédard, Steve; Guillemette, François; Pothier, David (Forest Ecology and Management, 2020)
Keywords: Guillemette_Francois

Potential for Sugar Maple to Provide High-Quality Sawlog Trees at the Northern Edge of Its Range - Guillemette, François; Bédard, Steve (Forest Science, 2019)
Abstract The management of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) at the northern edge of its range is mainly oriented toward timber production, from trees of higher grades. However, both the quality of mature trees in natural stands and how the quality may vary depending on the silvicultural treatment are unknown, especially under northern conditions. The objective of this study was to describe the variation in stem quality of mature maple trees (diameter >33 cm) according to climatic, geographic or soil variables, and to evaluate the effects of a first selection cutting cycle on this quality. Annual temperature (1.7–4.1° C) was the most important variable explaining differences in the proportion of higher-grade trees, with a 16 percent gain associated with every additional increase in degrees Celsius. The practice of a first selection cutting was associated with an 11 percent gain in this proportion. Although the actual proportion of high-quality trees was below 35 percent on the coolest sites, a proper tree selection through silviculture could likely improve this proportion in future decades, whereas the potential effects of climate change are unclear.
Keywords: Guillemette_Francois

Comparing structural attributes in uneven-aged managed and unmanaged sugar maple stands - Gauthier, Martin-Michel; Bédard, Steve; Guillemette, François (Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research, 2019)
Keywords: Guillemette_Francois

Widespread occurrence and spatial distribution of glyphosate, atrazine, and neonicotinoids pesticides in the St. Lawrence and tributary rivers - Montiel-León, Juan Manuel; Munoz, Gabriel; Vo Duy, Sung; Do, Dat Tien; Vaudreuil, Marc-Antoine; Goeury, Ken; Guillemette, François; Amyot, Marc; Sauvé, Sébastien (Environmental Pollution, 2019)
Keywords: Guillemette_Francois

Bark type reflects growth potential of yellow birch and sugar maple at the northern limit of their range - Gauthier, Martin-Michel; Guillemette, François (Plant Ecology, 2018)
Keywords: Guillemette_Francois

Conceptual framework for organizational adaptability in a context of disruption - Micouleau, D.; Robert, Benoît; Hémond, Y. (Business And Management Research Journal (BMRJ), 2020)
Keywords: Hémond_Yannick

Reviews and syntheses: Recent advances in microwave remote sensing in support of terrestrial carbon cycle science in Arctic–boreal regions - Mavrovic, Alex; Sonnentag, Oliver; Lemmetyinen, Juha; Baltzer, Jennifer L.; Kinnard, Christophe; Roy, Alexandre (Biogeosciences, 2023)
Abstract. Spaceborne microwave remote sensing (300 MHz–100 GHz) provides a valuable method for characterizing environmental changes, especially in Arctic–boreal regions (ABRs) where ground observations are generally spatially and temporally scarce. Although direct measurements of carbon fluxes are not feasible, spaceborne microwave radiometers and radar can monitor various important surface and near-surface variables that affect terrestrial carbon cycle processes such as respiratory carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes; photosynthetic CO2 uptake; and processes related to net methane (CH4) exchange including CH4 production, transport and consumption. Examples of such controls include soil moisture and temperature, surface freeze–thaw cycles, vegetation water storage, snowpack properties and land cover. Microwave remote sensing also provides a means for independent aboveground biomass estimates that can be used to estimate aboveground carbon stocks. The microwave data record spans multiple decades going back to the 1970s with frequent (daily to weekly) global coverage independent of atmospheric conditions and solar illumination. Collectively, these advantages hold substantial untapped potential to monitor and better understand carbon cycle processes across ABRs. Given rapid climate warming across ABRs and the associated carbon cycle feedbacks to the global climate system, this review argues for the importance of rapid integration of microwave information into ABR terrestrial carbon cycle science.
Keywords: Kinnard_Christophe

Historical Trends and Projections of Snow Cover over the High Arctic: A Review - Mohammadzadeh Khani, Hadi; Kinnard, Christophe; Lévesque, Esther (Water, 2022)
Snow is the dominant form of precipitation and the main cryospheric feature of the High Arctic (HA) covering its land, sea, lake and river ice surfaces for a large part of the year. The snow cover in the HA is involved in climate feedbacks that influence the global climate system, and greatly impacts the hydrology and the ecosystems of the coldest biomes of the Northern Hemisphere. The ongoing global warming trend and its polar amplification is threatening the long-term stability of the snow cover in the HA. This study presents an extensive review of the literature on observed and projected snow cover conditions in the High Arctic region. Several key snow cover metrics were reviewed, including snowfall, snow cover duration (SCD), snow cover extent (SCE), snow depth (SD), and snow water equivalent (SWE) since 1930 based on in situ, remote sensing and simulations results. Changes in snow metrics were reviewed and outlined from the continental to the local scale. The reviewed snow metrics displayed different sensitivities to past and projected changes in precipitation and air temperature. Despite the overall increase in snowfall, both observed from historical data and projected into the future, some snow cover metrics displayed consistent decreasing trends, with SCE and SCD showing the most widespread and steady decreases over the last century in the HA, particularly in the spring and summer seasons. However, snow depth and, in some regions SWE, have mostly increased; nevertheless, both SD and SWE are projected to decrease by 2030. By the end of the century, the extent of Arctic spring snow cover will be considerably less than today (10–35%). Model simulations project higher winter snowfall, higher or lower maximum snow depth depending on regions, and a shortened snow season by the end of the century. The spatial pattern of snow metrics trends for both historical and projected climates exhibit noticeable asymmetry among the different HA sectors, with the largest observed and anticipated changes occurring over the Canadian HA.
Keywords: Kinnard_Christophe

Comparing calibration strategies of a conceptual snow hydrology model and their impact on model performance and parameter identifiability - Nemri, Saida; Kinnard, Christophe (Journal of Hydrology, 2020)
Abstract Having a realistic estimation of snow cover by conceptual hydrological models continues to challenge hydrologists. The calibration of the free model parameters is an unavoidable step and the uncertainties resulting from the use of this optimal set remains a source of concern, especially in forecasting applications and climate changes impact assessments. This study seeks to improve the calibration of the conceptual hydrological model GR4J coupled with the Cemaneige snow model, in order to obtain a more realistic simulation of the snow water equivalent (SWE) and to reduce the uncertainty of the free parameters. The performance of the two models was tested over twelve snow-dominated basins in southern Quebec, Canada. Four calibration strategies were adopted and compared. In the first two strategies, the parameters were calibrated against observed streamflow alone using a local and a global algorithm. In the third and fourth strategies the calibration of snow and hydrological parameters was performed against observed streamflow and snow water equivalent (SWE) measured at snow course transects, first separately, and then with a multiobjective approach. An ensemble of equifinal parameters was used to compare the capacity of the global and multiobjective algorithms to improve the parameters identifiability and to assess the impact of parameter equifinality on the temperature sensitivity of spring peak streamflow. The large number of equifinal parameters found during calibration underscores the importance of structural non-identifiability of the coupled GR4J-Cemaneige model. The inclusion of snow observations within a multiobjective calibration improved the simulation of SWE, the identifiability of the parameters and their correlation with basins characteristics. Parameter equifinality caused a small but non negligible uncertainty in the simulated response of spring peak flow to warming temperatures. Parameter equifinality should be considered in climate impact studies in snow-dominated basins where poorly constrained snow parameters can affect the temperature sensitivity of streamflow.
Keywords: Kinnard_Christophe

Impact of forcing on sublimation simulations for a high mountain catchment in the semiarid Andes - Réveillet, Marion; MacDonell, Shelley; Gascoin, Simon; Kinnard, Christophe; Lhermitte, Stef; Schaffer, Nicole (The Cryosphere, 2020)
Abstract. In the semiarid Andes of Chile, farmers and industry in the cordillera lowlands depend on water from snowmelt, as annual rainfall is insufficient to meet their needs. Despite the importance of snow cover for water resources in this region, understanding of snow depth distribution and snow mass balance is limited. Whilst the effect of wind on snow cover pattern distribution has been assessed, the relative importance of melt versus sublimation has only been studied at the point scale over one catchment. Analyzing relative ablation rates and evaluating uncertainties are critical for understanding snow depth sensitivity to variations in climate and simulating the evolution of the snowpack over a larger area and over time. Using a distributed snowpack model (SnowModel), this study aims to simulate melt and sublimation rates over the instrumented watershed of La Laguna (513 km2, 3150–5630 m a.s.l., 30∘ S, 70∘ W), during two hydrologically contrasting years (i.e., dry vs. wet). The model is calibrated and forced with meteorological data from nine Automatic Weather Stations (AWSs) located in the watershed and atmospheric simulation outputs from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Results of simulations indicate first a large uncertainty in sublimation-to-melt ratios depending on the forcing as the WRF data have a cold bias and overestimate precipitation in this region. These input differences cause a doubling of the sublimation-to-melt ratio using WRF forcing inputs compared to AWS. Therefore, the use of WRF model output in such environments must be carefully adjusted so as to reduce errors caused by inherent bias in the model data. For both input datasets, the simulations indicate a similar sublimation fraction for both study years, but ratios of sublimation to melt vary with elevation as melt rates decrease with elevation due to decreasing temperatures. Finally results indicate that snow persistence during the spring period decreases the ratio of sublimation due to higher melt rates.
Keywords: Kinnard_Christophe

Performance Assessment of TanDEM-X DEM for Mountain Glacier Elevation Change Detection - Podgórski, Julian; Kinnard, Christophe; Pętlicki, Michał; Urrutia, Roberto (Remote Sensing, 2019)
TanDEM-X digital elevation model (DEM) is a global DEM released by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) at outstanding resolution of 12 m. However, the procedure for its creation involves the combination of several DEMs from acquisitions spread between 2011 and 2014, which casts doubt on its value for precise glaciological change detection studies. In this work we present TanDEM-X DEM as a high-quality product ready for use in glaciological studies. We compare it to Aerial Laser Scanning (ALS)-based dataset from April 2013 (1 m), used as the ground-truth reference, and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) V003 DEM and SRTM v3 DEM (both 30 m), serving as representations of past glacier states. We use a method of sub-pixel coregistration of DEMs by Nuth and Kääb (2011) to determine the geometric accuracy of the products. In addition, we propose a slope-aspect heatmap-based workflow to remove the errors resulting from radar shadowing over steep terrain. Elevation difference maps obtained by subtraction of DEMs are analyzed to obtain accuracy assessments and glacier mass balance reconstructions. The vertical accuracy (± standard deviation) of TanDEM-X DEM over non-glacierized area is very good at 0.02 ± 3.48 m. Nevertheless, steep areas introduce large errors and their filtering is required for reliable results. The 30 m version of TanDEM-X DEM performs worse than the finer product, but its accuracy, −0.08 ± 7.57 m, is better than that of SRTM and ASTER. The ASTER DEM contains errors, possibly resulting from imperfect DEM creation from stereopairs over uniform ice surface. Universidad Glacier has been losing mass at a rate of −0.44 ± 0.08 m of water equivalent per year between 2000 and 2013. This value is in general agreement with previously reported mass balance estimated with the glaciological method for 2012–2014.
Keywords: Kinnard_Christophe

Historical black carbon deposition in the Canadian High Arctic: a 250-year long ice-core record from Devon Island - Zdanowicz, Christian M.; Proemse, Bernadette C.; Edwards, Ross; Feiteng, Wang; Hogan, Chad M.; Kinnard, Christophe; Fisher, David (Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2018)
Abstract. Black carbon aerosol (BC), which is emitted from natural and anthropogenic sources (e.g., wildfires, coal burning), can contribute to magnify climate warming at high latitudes by darkening snow- and ice-covered surfaces, and subsequently lowering their albedo. Therefore, modeling the atmospheric transport and deposition of BC to the Arctic is important, and historical archives of BC accumulation in polar ice can help to validate such modeling efforts. Here we present a > 250-year ice-core record of refractory BC (rBC) deposition on Devon ice cap, Canada, spanning the years from 1735 to 1992. This is the first such record ever developed from the Canadian Arctic. The estimated mean deposition flux of rBC on Devon ice cap for 1963–1990 is 0.2 mg m−2 a−1, which is at the low end of estimates from Greenland ice cores obtained using the same analytical method ( ∼ 0.1–4 mg m−2 a−1). The Devon ice cap rBC record also differs from the Greenland records in that it shows only a modest increase in rBC deposition during the 20th century. In the Greenland records a pronounced rise in rBC is observed from the 1880s to the 1910s, which is largely attributed to midlatitude coal burning emissions. The deposition of contaminants such as sulfate and lead increased on Devon ice cap in the 20th century but no concomitant rise in rBC is recorded in the ice. Part of the difference with Greenland could be due to local factors such as melt–freeze cycles on Devon ice cap that may limit the detection sensitivity of rBC analyses in melt-impacted core samples, and wind scouring of winter snow at the coring site. Air back-trajectory analyses also suggest that Devon ice cap receives BC from more distant North American and Eurasian sources than Greenland, and aerosol mixing and removal during long-range transport over the Arctic Ocean likely masks some of the specific BC source–receptor relationships. Findings from this study suggest that there could be a large variability in BC aerosol deposition across the Arctic region arising from different transport patterns. This variability needs to be accounted for when estimating the large-scale albedo lowering effect of BC deposition on Arctic snow/ice.
Keywords: Kinnard_Christophe

Revealing recent calving activity of a tidewater glacier with terrestrial LiDAR reflection intensity - Podgórski, Julian; Pętlicki, Michał; Kinnard, Christophe (Cold Regions Science and Technology, 2018)
Keywords: Kinnard_Christophe

A new interpolation method to resolve under-sampling of UAV-lidar snow depth observations in coniferous forests - Dharmadasa, Vasana; Kinnard, Christophe; Baraër, Michel (Cold Regions Science and Technology, 2024)
Keywords: Baraer_Michel; Kinnard_Christophe

Impacts of summer and winter conditions on summer river low flows in low elevation, snow-affected catchments - Kinnard, Christophe; Bzeouich, Ghada; Assani, Ali (Journal of Hydrology, 2022)
Reduced snow storage has been associated with lower river low flows in mountainous catchments, exacerbating summer hydrological droughts. However, the impacts of changing snow storage on summer low flows in low-elevation, snow-affected catchments has not yet been investigated. To address this knowledge gap, the dominant hydroclimate predictors of summer low flows were first identified through correlation analysis in 12 tributary catchments of the St. Lawrence River in the Canadian province of Quebec. The correlation results show that summer low flow is most sensitive to summer rainfall, while maximum snow water equivalent (SWE) is the dominant winter preconditioning factor of low flows, particularly at the end of summer. The multivariate sensitivity of summer low flow to hydroclimate predictors was then quantified by multilevel regression analysis, considering also the effect of catchment biophysical attributes. Accumulated rainfall since snow cover disappearance was found to be the prime control on summer low flow, as expected for the humid climate of Quebec. Maximum SWE had a secondary but significant positive influence on low flow, sometimes on the same order as the negative effect of evapotranspiration losses. As a whole, our results show that in these low elevation catchments, thicker winter snowpacks that last longer and melt slower in the spring are conducive to higher low flows in the following summer. More rugged and forested catchments with coarser soils were found to have higher summer low flows than flatter agricultural catchments with compacted clayed soils. This emphasizes the role of soils and geology on infiltration, aquifer recharge and related river baseflow in summer. Further climate warming and snowpack depletion could reduce future summer low flow, exacerbating hydrological droughts and impacting ecosystems integrity and ecological services.
Keywords: Infolettre; Infolettre_Juillet_2022; Kinnard_Christophe; Site_internet_RIISQ

Global change on the Blue Planet - Bourbonnais, Annie; Ho, Sze Ling; Kinnard, Christophe; Lenaerts, Jan T. M.; Sugiyama, Shin; Altabet, Mark (Communications Earth & Environment, 2021)
Keywords: Kinnard_Christophe

Mass Balance and Climate History of a High-Altitude Glacier, Desert Andes of Chile - Kinnard, Christophe; Ginot, Patrick; Surazakov, Arzhan; MacDonell, Shelley; Nicholson, Lindsey; Patris, Nicolas; Rabatel, Antoine; Rivera, Andres; Squeo, Francisco A. (Frontiers in Earth Science, 2020)
Keywords: Kinnard_Christophe

MODIS Does Not Capture the Spatial Heterogeneity of Snow Cover Induced by Solar Radiation - Bouamri, Hafsa; Kinnard, Christophe; Boudhar, Abdelghani; Gascoin, Simon; Hanich, Lahoucine; Chehbouni, Abdelghani (Frontiers in Earth Science, 2021)
Estimating snowmelt in semi-arid mountain ranges is an important but challenging task, due to the large spatial variability of the snow cover and scarcity of field observations. Adding solar radiation as snowmelt predictor within empirical snow models is often done to account for topographically induced variations in melt rates. This study examines the added value of including different treatments of solar radiation within empirical snowmelt models and benchmarks their performance against MODIS snow cover area (SCA) maps over the 2003-2016 period. Three spatially distributed, enhanced temperature index models that, respectively, include the potential clear-sky direct radiation, the incoming solar radiation and net solar radiation were compared with a classical temperature-index (TI) model to simulate snowmelt, SWE and SCA within the Rheraya basin in the Moroccan High Atlas Range. Enhanced models, particularly that which includes net solar radiation, were found to better explain the observed SCA variability compared to the TI model. However, differences in model performance in simulating basin wide SWE and SCA were small. This occurs because topographically induced variations in melt rates simulated by the enhanced models tend to average out, a situation favored by the rather uniform distribution of slope aspects in the basin. While the enhanced models simulated more heterogeneous snow cover conditions, aggregating the simulated SCA from the 100 m model resolution towards the MODIS resolution (500 m) suppresses key spatial variability related to solar radiation, which attenuates the differences between the TI and the radiative models. Our findings call for caution when using MODIS for calibration and validation of spatially distributed snow models.
Keywords: Kinnard_Christophe

Shifting Hydrological Processes in a Canadian Agroforested Catchment due to a Warmer and Wetter Climate - Aygün, Okan; Kinnard, Christophe; Campeau, Stéphane; Krogh, Sebastian A. (Water, 2020)
This study examines the hydrological sensitivity of an agroforested catchment to changes in temperature and precipitation. A physically based hydrological model was created using the Cold Regions Hydrological Modelling platform to simulate the hydrological processes over 23 years in the Acadie River Catchment in southern Quebec. The observed air temperature and precipitation were perturbed linearly based on existing climate change projections, with warming of up to 8 °C and an increase in total precipitation up to 20%. The results show that warming causes a decrease in blowing snow transport and sublimation losses from blowing snow, canopy-intercepted snowfall and the snowpack. Decreasing blowing snow transport leads to reduced spatial variability in peak snow water equivalent (SWE) and a more synchronized snow cover depletion across the catchment. A 20% increase in precipitation is not sufficient to counteract the decline in annual peak SWE caused by a 1 °C warming. On the other hand, peak spring streamflow increases by 7% and occurs 20 days earlier with a 1 °C warming and a 20% increase in precipitation. However, when warming exceeds 1.5 °C, the catchment becomes more rainfall dominated and the peak flow and its timing follows the rainfall rather than snowmelt regime. Results from this study can be used for sustainable farming development and planning in regions with hydroclimatic characteristics similar to the Acadie River Catchment, where climate change may have a significant impact on the dominating hydrological processes.
Keywords: Kinnard_Christophe

Performance of temperature and radiation index models for point-scale snow water equivalent (SWE) simulations in the Moroccan High Atlas Mountains - Bouamri, H.; Boudhar, A.; Gascoin, S.; Kinnard, C. (Hydrological Sciences Journal, 2018)
Keywords: Kinnard_Christophe

Comparison of the Spatiotemporal Variability of Temperature, Precipitation, and Maximum Daily Spring Flows in Two Watersheds in Quebec Characterized by Different Land Use - Assani, Ali A.; Landry, Raphaëlle; Kinnard, Christophe; Azouaoui, Ouassila; Demers, Christine; Karine Lacasse; Lacasse, Karine (Advances in Meteorology, 2016)
We compared the spatiotemporal variability of temperatures and precipitation with that of the magnitude and timing of maximum daily spring flows in the geographically adjacent L’Assomption River (agricultural) and Matawin River (forested) watersheds during the period from 1932 to 2013. With regard to spatial variability, fall, winter, and spring temperatures as well as total precipitation are higher in the agricultural watershed than in the forested one. The magnitude of maximum daily spring flows is also higher in the first watershed as compared with the second, owing to substantial runoff, given that the amount of snow that gives rise to these flows is not significantly different in the two watersheds. These flows occur early in the season in the agricultural watershed because of the relatively high temperatures. With regard to temporal variability, minimum temperatures increased over time in both watersheds. Maximum temperatures in the fall only increased in the agricultural watershed. The amount of spring rain increased over time in both watersheds, whereas total precipitation increased significantly in the agricultural watershed only. However, the amount of snow decreased in the forested watershed. The magnitude of maximum daily spring flows increased over time in the forested watershed.
Keywords: Kinnard_Christophe

Association between Beverage Consumption and Sleep Quality in Adolescents - Vézina-Im, Lydi-Anne; Beaulieu, Dominique; Turcotte, Stéphane; Turcotte, Anne-Frédérique; Delisle-Martel, Joannie; Labbé, Valérie; Lessard, Lily; Gingras, Mariane (Nutrients, 2024)
The objective of this study was to verify if the consumption of different beverages (such as water, 100% pure fruit juice, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs)) is associated with adolescents’ sleep quality. French-speaking adolescents were recruited in person and online throughout the province of Québec (Canada) from the end of March to early July 2023. Beverage consumption and sleep quality were measured using French versions of validated questionnaires specifically designed for adolescents. A total of 218 adolescents (14–17 years; 55.5% female) completed the online survey. Among caffeinated SSBs, energy drink (rs = −0.16; p = 0.0197) and sugar-sweetened coffee (rs = −0.33; p < 0.0001) intake was correlated with adolescents’ sleep quality. Energy drink consumption (β = −0.0048; p = 0.0005) and being male (β = 0.6033; p < 0.0001) were associated with adolescents’ sleep quality. There was an interaction between sugar-sweetened coffee intake and biological sex that was associated with adolescents’ sleep quality (p = 0.0053). Sugar-sweetened coffee consumption was correlated with adolescent girls’ abilities to go to bed (rs = −0.21; p = 0.0203) and fall asleep (rs = −0.28; p = 0.0020), while in boys, it was only significantly correlated with their abilities to go to bed (rs = −0.27; p = 0.0069). Public health interventions aimed at adolescent boys should primarily target lowering energy drink consumption, while those aimed at girls should prioritize sugar-sweetened coffee intake to possibly improve their sleep quality.
Keywords: FRQ_S; Lessard_Lily

Invisible informal housing in the Global South - Lizarralde, Gonzalo; Fauveaud, Gabriel (Research Handbook on Housing, the Home and Society, 2024)
Keywords: Lizarralde_Gonzalo

Artefacts of disaster risk reduction: conceptualizing bottom-up initiatives of climate action in informal settlements - Lizarralde, Gonzalo; Herazo, Benjamín; Smith, David; Bornstein, Lisa; Gould, Kevin; Monsalve, Elsa; Ordoñez, Nicolás; López, Adriana; López, Oswaldo; Burdiles, Roberto; Araneda, Claudio; Olivera, Andrés (Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, 2024)
Purpose Disaster risk reduction is of prime importance in informal settlements in the Global South, where several forms of vulnerability coexist. Policy and official programmes, however, rarely respond to the needs and expectations of citizens and local leaders living in these settlements. Even though these agents constantly attempt to reduce risks in their own way, we know very little about their activities, motivations and effective impact on risk reduction. Here we seek to conceptualize bottom-up initiatives to better grasp their origins, limitations and success. Design/methodology/approach Through a four-year action-research project in Colombia, Cuba and Chile, we theorize about the production of change by local agents. Through detailed case studies we explored the activism of 17 local leaders. Through narrative analysis we studied their motivations and explanations. Finally, by documenting 22 initiatives, we revealed effective changes in space. Findings In the face of risk and disasters, residents and leaders in informal settings engaged in symbolic, physical and social spaces of interaction. Their actions were guided by trust, emotions, time cycles and activism. Local agency was justified by narratives about risk and climate change that differ from those of authorities and scholars. Research limitations/implications There is still limited understanding of bottom-up initiatives in informal settings. It is crucial to conceptualize their origins, limitations and success. The focus on three specific countries necessitates further research for broader applicability and understanding. Practical implications A better comprehension of bottom-up actions is crucial for informing policies and programmes aimed at reducing risk in informal settings. Stakeholders must recognize the political, social and cultural roles of these actions for more impactful climate action. Originality/value We borrow Simon’s concept of “artefact” to introduce the notion of “Artefacts of Disaster Risk Reduction”, providing insights into the multifaceted nature of bottom-up initiatives. We also emphasize the simultaneous political and phenomenological character of these actions, contributing to a deeper understanding of their origins and impact.
Keywords: Infolettre; Infolettre_Ete_2024; Lizarralde_Gonzalo

The problem with net zero building policy: reflecting on the making, and future, of a global discourse - Hasan, L; Lizarralde, G; Lachapelle, E (IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 2023)
Abstract The Paris Agreement made net zero emissions a global target. In response, net zero carbon building standards have proliferated, making net zero a popular target for buildings. But to meaningfully contribute to global decarbonization efforts, net zero standards and the organizations who promote them, must be deemed legitimate. Given the building industry’s reputation for being highly fragmented and slow to change, how has this legitimacy been constructed? What are the implications of this legitimation process? This article seeks to answer these questions by exploring the narratives used by the World Green Building Council (WGBC) to legitimate Net Zero Carbon Buildings (NZCB) from 2015 to 2021. Our analysis is based on over 100 documents produced by the WGBC and 22 interviews with WGBC and Green Building Council representatives, policymakers, and industry actors. Results reveal six main storylines adopted by the WGBC to extend the legitimacy of sustainable green building movement actors to the new net zero governance space. This legitimation process allows the WGBC to develop and implement net zero standards quickly, but also creates tensions between efficiency and procedural integrity, potential and proven results, corporate and collective value. While NZCB are here to stay, these tensions highlight barriers to their wide-scale adoption and question their ability to deliver an economically viable, socially just, environmental, net zero transition.
Keywords: Lizarralde_Gonzalo

The problem of doing more: success and paradoxes in scaling up informal initiatives for disaster risk reduction and climate action - Lizarralde, Gonzalo; Bornstein, Lisa; Herazo, Benjamin; Burdiles, Roberto; Araneda, Claudio; Páez Martínez, Holmes; Diaz, Julia Helena; Fauveaud, Gabriel; Olivera, Andrés; Gonzalez, Gonzalo; López, Oswaldo; López, Adriana; et al. (Canadian Journal of Development Studies / Revue canadienne d'études du développement, 2022)
Keywords: Lizarralde_Gonzalo

Policies of Exclusion: The Case of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon - Kikano, Faten; Fauveaud, Gabriel; Lizarralde, Gonzalo (Journal of Refugee Studies, 2021)
Abstract When the Syrian war erupted in 2011, the Lebanese government withdrew from managing the influx of Syrian refugees. Three years later, Lebanon’s Council of Ministers set new regulations for Syrians with the purpose of reducing access to territory and persuading refugees to leave the country. This article analyses the reasons for and the outcomes of Lebanon’s response to the refugee crisis before and after 2014. It then examines, through a qualitative exploratory approach and based on two longitudinal case studies, the impact of Lebanese regulations. In both cases, the so-called ‘temporary gatherings’ became permanent settlements beyond the government’s control. The government’s strategy backfired: in attempting to avoid ghettos, it created them. We conclude that when refugee situations become protracted, most efforts aimed at excluding refugees fail. Excluding refugees increases their vulnerability and reduces their chances of repatriation or resettlement. To prevent this, we argue that hosting policies must lead to the temporary integration of refugees within urban systems and public institutions.
Keywords: Lizarralde_Gonzalo

Maladaptation, fragmentation, and other secondary effects of centralized post-disaster urban planning: The case of the 2011 “cascading” disaster in Japan - Kondo, Tamiyo; Lizarralde, Gonzalo (International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2021)
Keywords: Lizarralde_Gonzalo

City profile: Canaan, Haiti - A new post disaster city - Petter, Anne-Marie; Labbé, Danielle; Lizarralde, Gonzalo; Goulet, Jean (Cities, 2020)
Keywords: Lizarralde_Gonzalo

Challenges for integrated design (ID) in sustainable buildings - Leoto, Ricardo; Lizarralde, Gonzalo (Construction Management and Economics, 2019)
Keywords: Lizarralde_Gonzalo

The Impact of Post-disaster Housing Reconstruction Policies on Different Beneficiary Groups: The Case of Bam, Iran - Fayazi, Mahmood; Lizarralde, Gonzalo (Resettlement Challenges for Displaced Populations and Refugees, 2019)
Keywords: Lizarralde_Gonzalo

The language of risk and the risk of language: Mismatches in risk response in Cuban coastal villages - Aragón-Duran, Ernesto; Lizarralde, Gonzalo; González-Camacho, Gonzalo; Olivera-Ranero, Andrés; Bornstein, Lisa; Herazo, Benjamin; Labbé, Danielle (International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2020)
Keywords: Lizarralde_Gonzalo

Conflicts between recovery objectives: The case of housing reconstruction after the 2003 earthquake in Bam, Iran - Fayazi, Mahmood; Lizarralde, Gonzalo (International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2018)
Keywords: Lizarralde_Gonzalo

Effectiveness of low-cost air quality monitors for identifying volcanic SO₂ and PM downwind from Masaya volcano, Nicaragua - Whitty, Rachel; Pfeffer, Melissa; Ilyinskaya, Evgenia; Roberts, Tjarda; Schmidt, Anja; Barsotti, Sara; Strauch, Wilfried; Crilley, Leigh; Pope, Francis; Bellanger, Harold; Mendoza, Elvis; Mather, Tamsin; et al. (Volcanica, 2022)
Gas and particulate matter (PM) emissions from Masaya volcano, Nicaragua, cause substantial regional volcanic air pollution (VAP). We evaluate the suitability of low-cost SO2 and PM sensors for a continuous air-quality network. The network was deployed for six months in five populated areas (4-16 km from crater). The SO2 sensors failed and recorded erroneous values on multiple occasions, likely due to corrosion, requiring significant maintenance commitment. The PM sensors were found to be robust but data required correction for humidity. SO2 measurements could not be used as stand-alone tools to detect occurrence of VAP episodes (VAPE), but SO2/PM correlation reliably achieved this at near-field stations, as confirmed by meteorological forecasts and satellite imagery. Above-background PM concentrations reliably identified VAPE at both near-field and far-field stations. We suggest that a continuous network can be built from a combination of low-cost PM and SO2 sensors with a greater number of PM-only sensors.
Keywords: Nobert_Sebastien

The Anthropocene and the Challenge of Implicated Time - Nobert, Sébastien (Science as Culture, 2018)
Keywords: Nobert_Sebastien

Numerical investigation of the scour around a diamond- and square-shaped pile in a narrow channel - Hurtado-Herrera, Mario; Uh Zapata, Miguel; Hammouti, Abdelkader; Pham Van Bang, Damien; Zhang, Wei; Nguyen, Kim Dan (Ocean Engineering, 2024)
Keywords: PhamVanBang_Damien

Bathymetric data integration approach to study bedforms in the estuary of the Saint‐Lawrence River - Noman, Juzer; Cassol, Willian Ney; Daniel, Sylvie; Pham Van Bang, Damien (Frontiers in Remote Sensing, 2023)
The identification of bedforms has an important role in the study of seafloor morphology. The presence of these dynamic structures on the seafloor represents a hazard for navigation. They also influence the hydrodynamic simulation models used in the context, for example, of coastal flooding. Generally, multiBeam EchoSounders (MBES) are used to survey these bedforms. Unfortunately, the coverage of the MBES is limited to small areas per survey. Therefore, the analysis of large areas of interest (like navigation channels) requires the integration of different datasets acquired over overlapping areas at different times. The presence of spatial and temporal inconsistencies between these datasets may significantly affect the study of bedforms, which are subject to many natural processes (e.g. tides; flow). This paper proposes a novel approach to integrate multisource bathymetric datasets to study bedforms. The proposed approach is based on consolidating multisource datasets and applying the Empirical Bayesian Kriging interpolation for the creation of a multisource Digital Bathymetric Model (DBM). It has been designed to be adapted for estuarine areas with a high dynamism of the seafloor, characteristic of the fluvio-marine regime of the Estuary of the Saint-Lawrence River. This area is distinguished by a high tidal cycle and the presence of fields of dunes. The study involves MBES data that was acquired daily over a field of dunes in this area over the span of four days for the purpose of monitoring the morphology and migration of dunes. The proposed approach performs well with a resulting surface with a reduced error relative to the original data compared to existing approaches and the conservation of the dune shape through the integration of the data sets despite the highly dynamic fluvio-marine environments.
Keywords: Infolettre; Infolettre_Octobre_2023; PhamVanBang_Damien

Deformation of Spartina patens and Spartina alterniflora stems under irregular wave action - Markov, Acacia; Stolle, Jacob; Henteleff, Ross; Nistor, Ioan; Pham Van Bang, Damien; Murphy, Enda; Cornett, Andrew (Coastal Engineering Journal, 2023)
Keywords: PhamVanBang_Damien

Numerical Study of the Flow and Blockage Ratio of Cylindrical Pier Local Scour - Hurtado-Herrera, Mario; Zhang, Wei; Hammouti, Abdelkader; Pham Van Bang, Damien; Nguyen, Kim Dan (Applied Sciences, 2023)
A three-dimensional large eddy simulation model is used to simulate the turbulent flow dynamics around a circular pier in live-bed and clear-water scour conditions. The Navier–Stokes equations are transformed into a σ-coordinate system and solved using a second-order unstructured triangular finite-volume method. We simulate the bed evolution by solving the Exner-Polya equation assisted by a sand-slide model as a correction method. The bedload transport rate is based on the model of Engelund and Fredsœ. The model was validated for live-bed conditions in a wide channel and clear-water conditions in a narrow channel against the experimental data found in the literature. The in-house model NSMP3D can successfully produce both the live-bed and clear-water scouring throughout a stable long-term simulation. The flow model was used to study the effects of the blockage ratio in the flow near the pier in clear-water conditions, particularly the contraction effect at the zone where the scour hole starts to form. The scour depth in the clear water simulations is generally deeper than the live-bed simulations. In clear-water, the results show that the present model is able to qualitatively and quantitatively capture the hydrodynamic and morphodynamic processes near the bed. In comparison to the wide channel situation, the simulations indicate that the scour rate is faster in the narrow channel case.
Keywords: PhamVanBang_Damien

Two-Phase Flow Modeling for Bed Erosion by a Plane Jet Impingement - Pham Van Bang, Damien; Uh Zapata, Miguel; Gauthier, Georges; Gondret, Philippe; Zhang, Wei; Nguyen, Kim Dan (Water, 2022)
This paper presents experimental and numerical studies on the erosion of a horizontal granular bed by a two-dimensional plane vertical impinging jet to predict the eroded craters’ size scaling (depth and width). The simulations help understand the microscopic processes that govern erosion in this complex flow. A modified jet-bed distance, accounting for the plane jet virtual origin, is successfully used to obtain a unique relationship between the crater size and a local Shields parameter. This work develops a two-phase flow numerical model to reproduce the experimental results. The numerical techniques are based on a finite volume formulation to approximate spatial derivatives, a projection technique to calculate the pressure and velocity for each phase, and a staggered grid to avoid spurious oscillations. Different options for the sediment’s solid-to-liquid transition during erosion are proposed, tested, and discussed. One model is based on unified equations of continuum mechanics, others on modified closure equations for viscosity or momentum transfer. A good agreement between the numerical solutions and the experimental measurements is obtained.
Keywords: PhamVanBang_Damien

Numerical Study on Measures for Protecting the Go-Cong Coastlines (Vietnam) from Erosion - San, Dinh Cong; Duong, Nguyen Binh; Phong, Nguyen Cong; Tu, Le Xuan; Pham-Van-Bang, Damien; Guillou, Sylvain; Nguyen, Kim Dan (Water, 2022)
Every year, in the Vietnam Mekong Delta Coastal Zone (VMDCZ), erosions cause approximately 300 ha of agricultural land loss. Therefore, measures for shoreline protection are urgently needed. This paper discusses the impacts of protection measures in the Go-Cong Coastal Zone to prevent erosion/accretion processes, predicted by two numerical models, MIKE21-FM and TELEMAC-2D. Hard and soft measures have been proposed using breakwaters and sandbars, respectively. The simulations show that the erosion/accretion trends provided by both models are similar. For breakwaters, MIKE21-FM provides less accretion than TELEMAC-2D in areas extending over 300 m and 500 m from shorelines. However, for sandbars, MIKE21-FM shows higher accretion within areas extending over 500 m but less than 300 m. Sandbars cause higher accretion in a larger area, extending over 1000 m offshore. The simulation results allow us to propose two alternative measures: (1) a row of several breakwater units will be implanted at 300 m offshore. The length of each unit is 600 m, with a gap between two neighbouring units of 70 m and a crest elevation of 2.2 m above mean sea level (MSL). (2) A row of sandbar units will be posed at 500 m offshore, with a unit length of 1000 m and a gap between the two neighbouring units of 200 m. The crest elevation is fixed at MSL.
Keywords: PhamVanBang_Damien

Three-Dimensional Hydrostatic Curved Channel Flow Simulations Using Non-Staggered Triangular Grids - Zhang, Wei; Uh Zapata, Miguel; Pham Van Bang, Damien; Nguyen, Kim Dan (Water, 2022)
Non-staggered triangular grids have many advantages in performing river or ocean modeling with the finite-volume method. However, horizontal divergence errors may occur, especially in large-scale hydrostatic calculations with centrifugal acceleration. This paper proposes an unstructured finite-volume method with a filtered scheme to mitigate the divergence noise and avoid further influencing the velocities and water elevation. In hydrostatic pressure calculations, we apply the proposed method to three-dimensional curved channel flows. Approximations reduce the numerical errors after filtering the horizontal divergence operator, and the approximation is second-order accurate. Numerical results for the channel flow accurately calculate the velocity profile and surface elevation at different Froude numbers. Moreover, secondary flow features such as the vortex pattern and its movement along the channel sections are also well captured.
Keywords: PhamVanBang_Damien

Behavior of variable density munitions under dam break forcing - Idowu, Temitope; Gangadharan, Manoj; Chapman, Emily; Puleo, Jack; Stolle, Jacob; Bang, Damien Pham van (Coastal Engineering Proceedings, 2022)
Munitions or Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) are ammunitions belonging to a larger family of explosives from past military activities. Sea disposal of munitions was a common practice from the late 1800s to 1970 when international conventions put an end to the practice. The exact quantity of munitions dumped into the Oceans globally is unknown due to sparse documentation but conservative estimates of known records stand at 1.6 million tons (Wilkinson, 2017). After decades underwater, some munitions have resurfaced in the nearshore, presumably washed onshore or exhumed by high-energy wave action. Extreme events could be major causes of migration and exposure of UXO in the nearshore. The quantification of variable density munitions behavior in the swash zone remains poorly understood. Biofouling, encrustation, and corrosion can alter the density of the underwater munitions, which consequently impacts the behavior of the munitions in the swash zone. Hence, this experimental study aimed to quantify the behavior of variable density munitions in the swash zone under dam-break scenarios. The findings of the study create more insights into the behavior of variable density munitions in the swash zone and can also serve as validation data for probabilistic models on munitions behavior in the swash zone under extreme events.
Keywords: PhamVanBang_Damien

Two-phase experimental and numerical studies on scouring at the toe of vertical seawall - Uh Zapata, M.; Zhang, W.; Marois, L.; Hammouti, A.; Pham Van Bang, D.; Nguyen, K.D. (European Journal of Mechanics - B/Fluids, 2022)
Keywords: PhamVanBang_Damien

An unstructured finite volume method based on the projection method combined momentum interpolation with a central scheme for three-dimensional nonhydrostatic turbulent flows - Zhang, Wei; Uh Zapata, Miguel; Bai, Xin; Pham Van Bang, Damien; Nguyen, Kim Dan (European Journal of Mechanics - B/Fluids, 2020)
Keywords: PhamVanBang_Damien

Three-dimensional simulation of horseshoe vortex and local scour around a vertical cylinder using an unstructured finite-volume technique - Zhang, Wei; Uh Zapata, Miguel; Bai, Xin; Pham-Van-Bang, Damien; Nguyen, Kim Dan (International Journal of Sediment Research, 2020)
Keywords: PhamVanBang_Damien

A parallel second-order unstructured finite volume method for 3D free-surface flows using a σ coordinate - Uh Zapata, Miguel; Zhang, Wei; Pham Van Bang, Damien; Nguyen, Kim Dan (Computers & Fluids, 2019)
Keywords: PhamVanBang_Damien

Seasonal Variation Of Wave Attenuation Capacity Of Canadian Saltmarsh Vegetation - Caldera, Ganga; Stolle, Jacob; Bang, Damien Pham Van; Murphy, Enda; Knox, Paul (CoastLab 2024: Physical Modelling in Coastal Engineering and Science, 2024)
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for coastal protection have been widely recognized as sustainable, economical, and eco-friendly alternatives to conventional grey structures, particularly under the threat of climate change (Temmerman et al., 2013). Living shorelines are a form of NbS, which incorporate natural elements (such as saltmarshes) that provide flood and erosion risk management benefits. Climate change impacts, such as rising sea levels and reducing sea-ice cover (Savard et al., 2016), are increasingly motivating communities in Canada to consider incorporating living shorelines in coastal protection schemes. The efficacy of wave energy dissipation by vegetation depends on both hydrodynamic conditions and plant characteristics. However, plant parameters, such as standing biomass exhibit seasonal fluctuations, leading to corresponding variations in attenuation capacity (Schulze et al., 2019). Hence, the design of NbS utilizing saltmarsh vegetation must account for seasonal variations to ensure sustained efficacy, especially within the context of Canadian regional climates, which are typically characterized by extended, stormy winters and shorter summer seasons. Few studies have quantified wave attenuation by real saltmarsh vegetation in large-scale laboratory facilities (Möller et al., 2014; Maza et al., 2015; Ghodoosipour et al., 2022), particularly for species native to the east coast of Canada. There is a knowledge gap on how seasonality affects wave attenuation by saltmarsh vegetation and how attenuation varies from the lower marsh to the higher marsh depending on species-specific plant traits. Research is needed to bridge this gap and develop technical guidance for the design of performant living shorelines in Canada.
Keywords: PhamVanBang_Damien

Wave attenuation of saltmarsh vegetation under storm conditions - Caldera, Ganga; Stolle, Jacob; Bang, Damien Pham Van; Cornett, Andrew; Murphy, Enda; Nistor, Ioan (Coastal Engineering Proceedings, 2022)
Nature-based solutions (NbS) for coastal protection has recently gained increased attention worldwide as a sustainable, economical and eco-friendly alternative to conventional grey structures, particularly under the threat of climate change (Temmerman et al. 2013). Wave energy dissipation by vegetation can be parameterized by the total horizontal force acting on the plant; expressed using a Morison-type equation considering only the form drag component (Dalrymple et al. 1984). Modelling wave-vegetation interaction is challenging in a laboratory environment (Lara et al. 2016) and it is difficult to accomplish a realistic representation of a plant’s biomechanical behavior and geometry using plant mimics or surrogates. Few studies have modelled real saltmarsh vegetation in large scale laboratory facilities (Moller et al. 2014; Maza et al. 2015) and quantified wave attenuation, particularly for engineered living shorelines (Maryland DoE, 2013). Further research is needed, particularly in the Canadian context, to investigate the capacity of different saltmarsh species to effectively attenuate waves and wave runup under storm conditions, to examine the plant’s drag coefficient and to bridge the gap to develop technical design specifications for the detailed design of living shorelines.
Keywords: PhamVanBang_Damien

Using Rocking Frequencies of Bridge Piers for Scour Monitoring - Boujia, Nissrine; Schmidt, Franziska; Chevalier, Christophe; Siegert, Dominique; Pham Van Bang, Damien (Structural Engineering International, 2021)
Keywords: PhamVanBang_Damien

Distributed Optical Fiber-Based Approach for Soil–Structure Interaction - Boujia, Nissrine; Schmidt, Franziska; Chevalier, Christophe; Siegert, Dominique; Pham Van Bang, Damien (Sensors, 2020)
Scour is a hydraulic risk threatening the stability of bridges in fluvial and coastal areas. Therefore, developing permanent and real-time monitoring techniques is crucial. Recent advances in strain measurements using fiber optic sensors allow new opportunities for scour monitoring. In this study, the innovative optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) was used to evaluate the effect of scour by performing distributed strain measurements along a rod under static lateral loads. An analytical analysis based on the Winkler model of the soil was carefully established and used to evaluate the accuracy of the fiber optic sensors and helped interpret the measurements results. Dynamic tests were also performed and results from static and dynamic tests were compared using an equivalent cantilever model.
Keywords: PhamVanBang_Damien

Effect of Scour on the Natural Frequency Responses of Bridge Piers: Development of a Scour Depth Sensor - Boujia, Nissrine; Schmidt, Franziska; Chevalier, Christophe; Siegert, Dominique; Pham Van Bang, Damien (Infrastructures, 2019)
Local scour is the removal of soil around bridge foundations under the erosive action of flowing water. This hydraulic risk has raised awareness of the need for developing continuous monitoring techniques to estimate scour depth around bridge piers and abutments. One of the emerging techniques is based on monitoring the vibration frequency of either bridge piers or a driven sensor in the riverbed. The sensor proposed in this study falls into the second category. Some unresolved issues are investigated: the effect of the geometry and material of the sensor, the effect of the embedded length and the effect of soil type. To this end, extensive laboratory tests are performed using rods of different materials, with various geometries and lengths. These tests are conducted in both dry sand and a soft clayey soil. Since the sensor will be placed in the riverbed, it is crucial to evaluate the effect of immersed conditions on its response. A numerical 3D finite-element model was developed and compared against experimental data. This model was then used to compute the ‘wet’ frequencies of the sensor. Finally, based on both the experimental and numerical results, an equivalent cantilever model is proposed to correlate the variation of the frequency of the sensor to the scour depth.
Keywords: PhamVanBang_Damien

Machine Learning vs. Physics-Based Modeling for Real-Time Irrigation Management - Gumiere, Silvio J.; Camporese, Matteo; Botto, Anna; Lafond, Jonathan A.; Paniconi, Claudio; Gallichand, Jacques; Rousseau, Alain N. (Frontiers in Water, 2020)
Keywords: Rousseau_Alain

Impacts of high precipitation on the energy and water budgets of a humid boreal forest - Isabelle, Pierre-Erik; Nadeau, Daniel F.; Anctil, François; Rousseau, Alain N.; Jutras, Sylvain; Music, Biljana (Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 2020)
Keywords: Ouvrage_Collectif_Numéro1; Rousseau_Alain

Quantitative assessment on basin-scale hydrological services of wetlands - Wu, Yanfeng; Zhang, Guangxin; Rousseau, Alain N. (Science China Earth Sciences, 2020)

Quantifying streamflow regulation services of wetlands with an emphasis on quickflow and baseflow responses in the Upper Nenjiang River Basin, Northeast China - Wu, Yanfeng; Zhang, Guangxin; Rousseau, Alain N.; Xu, Y. Jun (Journal of Hydrology, 2020)
Keywords: Rousseau_Alain

Water budget, performance of evapotranspiration formulations, and their impact on hydrological modeling of a small boreal peatland-dominated watershed. - Isabelle, Pierre-Erik; Nadeau, Daniel F.; Rousseau, Alain N.; Anctil, François (Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 2018)
Peatlands occupy around 13% of the land cover of Canada, and thus play a key role in the water balance at high latitudes. They are well known for having substantial water loss due to evapotranspiration. Since measurements of evapotranspiration are scarce over these environments, hydrologists generally rely on models of varying complexity to evaluate these water exchanges in the global watershed balance. This study quantifies the water budget of a small boreal peatland-dominated watershed. We assess the performance of three evapotranspiration models in comparison with in situ observations and the impact of using these models in the hydrological modeling of the watershed. The study site (~1-km2) is located in the Eastern James Bay lowlands, Quebec, Canada. During summer 2012, an eddy flux tower measured evapotranspiration continuously, while a trapezoidal flume monitored streamflow at the watershed outlet. We estimated evapotranspiration with a combinational model (Penman), a radiation-based model (Priestle...
Keywords: Rousseau_Alain

Extension of a Monolayer Energy-Budget Degree-Day Model to a Multilayer One - Augas, Julien; Foulon, Etienne; Rousseau, Alain N.; Baraër, Michel (Water, 2024)
This paper presents the extension of the monolayer snow model of a semi-distributed hydrological model (HYDROTEL) to a multilayer model that considers snow to be a combination of ice and air, while accounting for freezing rain. For two stations in Yukon and one station in northern Quebec, Canada, the multilayer model achieves high performances during calibration periods yet similar to the those of the monolayer model, with KGEs of up to 0.9. However, it increases the KGE values by up to 0.2 during the validation periods. The multilayer model provides more accurate estimations of maximum SWE and total spring snowmelt dates. This is due to its increased sensitivity to thermal atmospheric conditions. Although the multilayer model improves the estimation of snow heights overall, it exhibits excessive snow densities during spring snowmelt. Future research should aim to refine the representation of snow densities to enhance the accuracy of the multilayer model. Nevertheless, this model has the potential to improve the simulation of spring snowmelt, addressing a common limitation of the monolayer model.
Keywords: Baraer_Michel; Rousseau_Alain

Deriving synthetic rating curves from a digital elevation model to delineate the inundated areas of small watersheds - Gordon, Camila A.; Foulon, Etienne; Rousseau, Alain N. (Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 2023)
Keywords: Infolettre; Infolettre_Janvier_2024; Rousseau_Alain

What is the Trade-Off between Snowpack Stratification and Simulated Snow Water Equivalent in a Physically-Based Snow Model? - Augas, Julien; Abbasnezhadi, Kian; Rousseau, Alain N.; Baraer, Michel (Water, 2020)
In Nordic watersheds, estimation of the dynamics of snow water equivalent (SWE) represents a major step toward a satisfactory modeling of the annual hydrograph. For a multilayer, physically-based snow model like MASiN (Modèle Autonome de Simulation de la Neige), the number of modeled snow layers can affect the accuracy of the simulated SWE. The objective of this study was to identify the maximum number of snow layers (MNSL) that would define the trade-off between snowpack stratification and SWE modeling accuracy. Results indicated that decreasing the MNSL reduced the SWE modeling accuracy since the thermal energy balance and the mass balance were less accurately resolved by the model. Nevertheless, from a performance standpoint, SWE modeling can be accurate enough with a MNSL of two (2), with a substantial performance drop for a MNSL value of around nine (9). Additionally, the linear correlation between the values of the calibrated parameters and the MNSL indicated that reducing the latter in MASiN increased the fresh snow density and the settlement coefficient, while the maximum radiation coefficient decreased. In this case, MASiN favored the melting process, and thus the homogenization of snow layers occurred from the top layers of the snowpack in the modeling algorithm.
Keywords: Baraer_Michel; Rousseau_Alain

Can assimilating snow monitoring information offset the adverse effects of precipitation data scarcity in hydrological modelling applications? - Abbasnezhadi, Kian; Rousseau, Alain N. (2020)
The applicability of the Canadian Precipitation Analysis products known as the Regional Deterministic Precipitation Analysis (CaPA-RDPA) for hydrological modelling in boreal watersheds in Canada, which are constrained with shortage of precipitation information, has been the subject of a number of recent studies. The northern and mid-cordilleran alpine, sub-alpine, and boreal watersheds in Yukon, Canada, are prime examples of such Nordic regions where any hydrological modelling application is greatly scrambled due to lack of accurate precipitation information. In the course of the past few years, proper advancements were tailored to resolve these challenges and a forecasting system was designed at the operational level for short- to medium-range flow and inflow forecasting in major watersheds of interest to Yukon Energy. This forecasting system merges the precipitation products from the North American Ensemble forecasting System (NAEFS) and recorded flows or reconstructed reservoir inflows into the HYDROTEL distributed hydrological model, using the Ensemble Kalman Filtering (EnKF) data assimilation technique. In order to alleviate the adverse effects of scarce precipitation information, the forecasting system also enjoys a snow data assimilation routine in which simulated snowpack water content is updated through a distributed snow correction scheme. Together, both data assimilation schemes offer the system with a framework to accurately estimate flow magnitudes. This robust system not only mitigates the adverse effects of meteorological data constrains in Yukon, but also offers an opportunity to investigate the hydrological footprint of CaPA-RDPA products in Yukon, which is exactly the motivation behind this presentation. However, our overall goal is much more comprehensive as we are trying to elucidate whether assimilating snow monitoring information in a distributed hydrological model could meet the flow estimation accuracy in sparsely gauged basins to the same extent that would be achieved through either (i) the application of precipitation analysis products, or (ii) expanding the meteorological network. A proper answer to this question would provide us with valuable information with respect to the robustness of the snow data assimilation routine in HYDROTEL and the intrinsic added-value of using CaPA-RDPA products in sparsely gauged basins of Yukon.
Keywords: Rousseau_Alain

What would have been the impacts of wetlands on low flow support and high flow attenuation under steady state land cover conditions? - Blanchette, Marianne; Rousseau, Alain N.; Foulon, Étienne; Savary, Stéphane; Poulin, Monique (Journal of Environmental Management, 2019)
Keywords: Rousseau_Alain

Development of a methodology to assess future trends in low flows at the watershed scale using solely climate data - Foulon, Étienne; Rousseau, Alain N.; Gagnon, Patrick (Journal of Hydrology, 2018)
Abstract Low flow conditions are governed by short-to-medium term weather conditions or long term climate conditions. This prompts the question: given climate scenarios, is it possible to assess future extreme low flow conditions from climate data indices (CDIs)? Or should we rely on the conventional approach of using outputs of climate models as inputs to a hydrological model? Several CDIs were computed using 42 climate scenarios over the years 1961–2100 for two watersheds located in Quebec, Canada. The relationship between the CDIs and hydrological data indices (HDIs; 7- and 30-day low flows for two hydrological seasons) were examined through correlation analysis to identify the indices governing low flows. Results of the Mann-Kendall test, with a modification for autocorrelated data, clearly identified trends. A partial correlation analysis allowed attributing the observed trends in HDIs to trends in specific CDIs. Furthermore, results showed that, even during the spatial validation process, the methodological framework was able to assess trends in low flow series from: (i) trends in the effective drought index (EDI) computed from rainfall plus snowmelt minus PET amounts over ten to twelve months of the hydrological snow cover season or (ii) the cumulative difference between rainfall and potential evapotranspiration over five months of the snow free season. For 80% of the climate scenarios, trends in HDIs were successfully attributed to trends in CDIs. Overall, this paper introduces an efficient methodological framework to assess future trends in low flows given climate scenarios. The outcome may prove useful to municipalities concerned with source water management under changing climate conditions.
Keywords: Rousseau_Alain

Assessing the long-term hydrological services provided by wetlands under changing climate conditions: A case study approach of a Canadian watershed - Fossey, Maxime; Rousseau, Alain N. (Journal of Hydrology, 2016)
The water content of wetlands represents a key driver of their hydrological services and it is highly dependent on short- and long-term weather conditions, which will change, to some extent, under evolving climate conditions. The impact on stream flows of this critical dynamic component of wetlands remains poorly studied. While hydrodynamic modelling provide a framework to describe the functioning of individual wetland, hydrological modelling offers the opportunity to assess their services at the watershed scale with respect to their type (i.e., isolated or riparian). This study uses a novel approach combining hydrological modelling and limited field monitoring, to explore the effectiveness of wetlands under changing climate conditions. To achieve this, two isolated wetlands and two riparian wetlands, located in the Becancour River watershed within the St Lawrence Lowlands (Quebec, Canada), were monitored using piezometers and stable water isotopes (δD – δ18O) between October 2013 and October 2014. For the watershed hydrology component of this study, reference (1986–2015) and future meteorological data (2041–2070) were used as inputs to the PHYSITEL/HYDROTEL modelling platform. Results obtained from in-situ data illustrate singular hydrological dynamics for each typology of wetlands (i.e., isolated and riparian) and support the hydrological modelling approach used in this study. Meanwhile, simulation results indicate that climate change could affect differently the hydrological dynamics of wetlands and associated services (e.g., storage and slow release of water), including their seasonal contribution (i.e., flood mitigation and low flow support) according to each wetland typology. The methodological framework proposed in this paper meets the requirements of a functional tool capable of anticipating hydrological changes in wetlands at both the land management scale and the watershed management scale. Accordingly, this framework represents a starting point towards the design of effective wetland conservation and/or restoration programs.
Keywords: Rousseau_Alain

Assessment of the impact of spatio-temporal attributes of wetlands on stream flows using a hydrological modelling framework: a theoretical case study of a watershed under temperate climatic conditions - Fossey, Maxime; Rousseau, Alain N.; Savary, Stéphane (Hydrological Processes, 2016)
Wetlands play a significant role on the hydrological cycle, reducing flood peaks through water storage functions and sustaining low flows through slow water release ability. However, their impacts on water resources availability and flood control are mainly driven by wetland type (e.g., isolated wetland –IW- and riparian wetland –RW-) and location within a watershed. Consequently, assessing the qualitative and quantitative impact of wetlands on hydrological regimes has become a relevant issue for scientists as well as stakeholders and decision-makers. In this study, the distributed hydrological model, HYDROTEL, was used to investigate the role and impact of the geographic distribution of isolated and riparian wetlands on stream flows of the Becancour River watershed of the St Lawrence Lowlands, Quebec, Canada. The model was set up and calibrated using available datasets (i.e., DEM, soil, wetland distribution, climate, land cover, and hydrometeorological data for the 1969-2010 period). Different Wetland Theoretical Location Tests (WTLT) were simulated. Results were used to determine whether stream flow parameters, related to peak flows and low flows, were related to: (i) geographic location of wetlands, (ii) typology of wetlands, and (iii) seasonality. The contribution of a particular wetland was assessed using intrinsic characteristics (e.g., surface area, typology) and extrinsic factors (e.g., location in the watershed landscape and seasonality). Through these investigations, the results suggest, to some extent, that both IWs and RWs impact landscape hydrology. The more IWs are located in the upper part of the watershed, the greater their effect on both on high flow damping and low flow support seems to be. The more RWs are connected to a main stream, the greater their effect is. Our modelling results indicate that local landscape conditions may influence the wetland effect; promoting or limiting their efficiency, and thus their impacts on stream flows depend on a combined effect of wetland and landscape attributes.
Keywords: Rousseau_Alain

Integrating isolated and riparian wetland modules in the PHYSITEL/HYDROTEL modelling platform: model performance and diagnosis - Fossey, Maxime; Rousseau, Alain N.; Bensalma, Fatima; Savary, Stéphane; Royer, Alain (Hydrological Processes, 2015)
Mathematical modelling is a well-accepted framework to evaluate the effects of wetlands on stream flow and watershed hydrology in general. Although the integration of wetland modules into a distributed hydrological model represents a cost-effective way to make this assessment, the added value brought by landscape-specific modules to a model's ability to replicate basic hydrograph characteristics remains unclear. The objectives of this paper were to: (i) present the adaptation of PHYSITEL (a GIS) to parameterize isolated and riparian wetlands; (ii) describe the integration of specific isolated wetland and riparian wetland modules into HYDROTEL, a distributed hydrological model; and (iii) evaluate the performance of the updated modelling platform with respect to the capacity of replicating various hydrograph characteristics. To achieve this, two sets of simulations were performed (with and without wetland modules) and the added-value was assessed at three river segments of the Becancour River watershed, Quebec, Canada, using six general goodness-of-fit indicators (GOFIs) and fourteen water flow criteria (WFC). A sensitivity analysis of the wetland module parameters was performed to characterize their impact on stream flows of the modelled watershed. Results of this study indicate that: (i) integration of specific wetland modules can slightly increase the capacity of HYDROTEL to replicate basic hydrograph characteristics and (ii) the updated modelling platform allows for the explicit assessment of the impact of wetlands (e.g., typology, location) on watershed hydrology.
Keywords: Rousseau_Alain

A WCSPH Particle Shifting Strategy for Simulating Violent Free Surface Flows - Krimi, Abdelkader; Jandaghian, Mojtaba; Shakibaeinia, Ahmad (Water, 2020)
In this work, we develop an enhanced particle shifting strategy in the framework of weakly compressible δ+-SPH method. This technique can be considered as an extension of the so-called improved particle shifting technology (IPST) proposed by Wang et al. (2019). We introduce a new parameter named “ϕ” to the particle shifting formulation, on the one hand to reduce the effect of truncated kernel support on the formulation near the free surface region, on the other hand, to deal with the problem of poor estimation of free surface particles. We define a simple criterion based on the estimation of particle concentration to limit the error’s accumulation in time caused by the shifting in order to achieve a long time violent free surface flows simulation. We propose also an efficient and simple concept for free surface particles detection. A validation of accuracy, stability and consistency of the presented model was shown via several challenging benchmarks.
Keywords: Ahmad_Shakibaeinia

Two-dimensional sub-aerial, submerged, and transitional granular slides - Pilvar, M.; Pouraghniaei, M. J.; Shakibaeinia, A. (Physics of Fluids, 2019)
The slide of granular material in nature and engineering can happen under air (subaerial), under a liquidlike water (submerged), or a transition between these two regimes, where a subaerial slide enters a liquid and becomes submerged. Here, we experimentally investigate these three slide regimes (i.e., subaerial, submerged, and transitional) in two dimensions, for various slope angles, material types, and bed roughness. The goal is to shed light on the complex morphodynamics and flow structure of these granular flows and also to provide comprehensive benchmarks for the validation and parametrization of the numerical models. The slide regime is found to be a major controller of the granular morphodynamics (e.g., shape evolution and internal flow structure). The time history of the runout distance for the subaerial and submerged cases present a similar three-phase trend (with acceleration, steady flow, and deceleration phases) tough with different spatiotemporal scales. Compared to the subaerial cases, the submerged cases show longer runout time and shorter final runout distances. The transitional trends, however, show additional deceleration and reacceleration. The observations suggest that the impact of slide angle, material type, and bed roughness on the morphodynamics is less significant where the material interacts with water. Flow structure, extracted using a granular particle image velocimetry technique, shows a relatively power-law velocity profile for the subaerial condition and strong circulations for the submerged condition. An unsteady theoretical model based on the µ(I) rheology is developed and is shown to be effective in the prediction of the average velocity of the granular mass.
Keywords: Ahmad_Shakibaeinia

Normalized dynamic behavior of combined sewer overflow discharges for source water characterization and management - Taghipour, Milad; Tolouei, Samira; Autixier, Laurène; Prévost, Michèle; Shakibaeinia, Ahmad; Dorner, Sarah (Journal of Environmental Management, 2019)
Keywords: Ahmad_Shakibaeinia; Dorner_Sarah

Meshfree particle numerical modelling of sub-aerial and submerged landslides - Tajnesaie, M.; Shakibaeinia, A.; Hosseini, K. (Computers & Fluids, 2018)
Keywords: Ahmad_Shakibaeinia

Two‐ and three‐dimensional multiphase mesh‐free particle modeling of transitional landslide with μ ( I ) rheology - Jafari Nodoushan, Ehsan; Tajnesaie, Mohanna; Shakibaeinia, Ahmad (International Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids, 2024)
Abstract Landslides, which are the sources of most catastrophic natural disasters, can be subaerial (dry), submerged (underwater), or semi‐submerged (transitional). Semi‐submerged or transitional landslides occur when a subaerial landslide enters water and turns to submerged condition. Predicting the behavior of such a highly dynamic multi‐phase granular flow system is challenging, mainly due to the water entry effects, such as wave impact and partial saturation (and resulted cohesion). The mesh‐free particle methods, such as the moving particle semi‐implicit (MPS) method, have proven their capabilities for the simulation of the highly dynamic multiphase systems. This study develops and evaluates a numerical model, based on the MPS particle method in combination with the μ ( I ) rheological model, to simulate the morphodynamic of the granular mass in semi‐submerged landslides in two and three dimensions. An algorithm is developed to consider partial saturation (and resulting cohesion) during the water entry. Comparing the numerical results with the experimental measurements shows the ability of the proposed model to accurately reproduce the morphological evolution of the granular mass, especially at the moment of water entry.
Keywords: Ahmad_Shakibaeinia; Infolettre; Infolettre_Fevrier_2024